


Annie's Stories #2

by BettyHT



Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 16:31:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 75,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4883845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Second part and follows directly after part 1.  Adam meets a feisty young woman who thinks that arguing means that you care.  It’s a tempestuous relationship at times, but loyalty, honesty, courage, and love are the cornerstones of the foundation that supports them through many crises.  Although the story is centered on the Adam and Annie relationship, the rest of the family is important to the story and there are changes for all of them too including romances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Annie's Stories #2

Je t'aime!

Chapter 1

"Adam, what were you thinking? Dadburnit, you need to keep your head in your work or you're gonna lose it!"

"I did have my head in my work. My horse slipped and I got unhorsed. It's not the first time that's happened to a cowboy."

Hoss shook his head and got ready to walk away. He had to lasso a steer so it wouldn't gore Adam but his older brother seemed not to be too concerned about that. He was going to leave before he said something he couldn't take back but turned for one last comment. "She's safe. No harm came to anyone in the family. Marsha fooled me into thinking she loved me, and sorta fooled you that maybe she did. But she was only trying to use us and brought Manning to the Ponderosa after she stole all his money. But Manning got caught, and he's in jail. Marsha got away with Manning's money, but they'll catch her, I think. That clue you gave em about New Orleans might just work out. Pa's at home watching over your wife and son. No one's gonna hurt em while you're out here working."

"I know. I know." Adam slapped some dust from his chaps and picked up the reins for Sport where Hoss had draped them. Hoss walked over to him and slapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you. I never saw that steer coming up behind me."

"It's all right. I'm sorry I yelled, but you scared me good standing there with that steer charging down at ya. Why didn't ya take a look around when you lost your seat?"

"Guess I was embarrassed for being unseated like a greenhorn. That hasn't happened to me lately. Seems that my balance and such hasn't been too good the last couple of days."

"Maybe you're coming down with something. Do ya want ta ride on home and take it easy for a day or so?"

"No, I'll be fine. I just need to get used to working again. There was too much time spent on other things lately. So don't worry. I'll be fine."

"I know, Adam, I know. As long as I think about the work we gotta do, I can forget about all that other stuff."

Seeing how dejected his brother looked, Adam felt for him. "I'm sorry, Hoss, I didn't want to remind you about all of that. You'll find a lady who loves you. Heck, Annie wants to try to help you if you want."

"Help me? Like by being a matchmaker?"

"Yeah, I told her not to do it."

"Why'd you do that? Maybe she could find me somebody real nice."

That surprised Adam so much, he was speechless. Hoss looked at him and laughed. "I ain't done so good by myself. It couldn't hurt to see who she would come up with, now would it?"

Shaking his head, Adam had to smile. "No, I suppose it wouldn't, and she would probably be thrilled to do it. I'll talk to her when we get back."

"We're late with the round-up. We're only gonna be back for part of a day before we have to leave for the drive if we want to get through those passes and back before any snow flies."

"Yeah, I know."

"Don't look so sad. You get a part of a day with Annie, and then we're only gonna be gone for three weeks or so."

The next several days were spent getting the last of the cattle out of draws and box canyons until the count was complete. Then they separated out the number they needed for the drive and herded the others into separate pastures. Leaving a few of the men to watch over the herd that was to be taken to market, Adam rode home with his brothers. He thought the day seemed quite warm and tied his jacket to the back of his saddle even though Hoss and Joe were wearing theirs. Hoss asked him if he was feeling all right, and he answered that he was fine. When they got home, they had dinner and then headed to bed because the next day would be a busy one.

In their bedroom, Annie expected Adam to want to make love that night, but he claimed to be too tired and fell asleep almost immediately. She had to shake him later to wake him so he could take Shep outside. Shep had slept in Hop Sing's room for the nights that Adam had been gone and was very happy to be back in his master's bedroom. When Adam came back upstairs with the dog, he kissed Annie on the cheek as she was nursing Andrew, and then he slipped back into bed and fell asleep. Once Andrew was fed and asleep, Annie placed the baby in the cradle before sliding into bed but found sleep elusive. For the first time in their marriage, there had been no loving of any kind. She wondered what was wrong as she listened to his soft breathing as he slept. She slid over in the bed placing her body next to his warm length and finally fell asleep assured by being so close to him. The next morning, Adam acted as he often did dressing to go do his chores before breakfast, but Annie had hoped because he had ignored her the night before, that he might have some lovemaking on his mind. Instead he got busy with the tasks necessary for the drive. Annie watched him as he worked over paperwork and maps in the house, and he did look very tired yet. She was thinking then that it must be exhaustion and he needed his sleep but was frustrated anyway.

Noticing how tired Adam looked even after a full night's sleep in his own bed, Hoss leaned toward his father as they stood at the corral watching the string of horses Joe had chosen for the remuda. "Pa, does Adam seem all right to you?"

"He seems fine. Why do you ask?"

"He seems kinda tired. I thought he would look more rested now that we're home, but he still looks as tired as he did while we were out doing the roundup."

"Ah, Hoss, he is a married man with a small baby. That could have interfered with his sleep last night."

"I suppose. Something just don't seem right though."

"He'll be fine. The drive will be a short one this time. You just have to get them through the mountain passes to the new railroad spur, and then you can come on home. I'm thinking only about three weeks. That's a lot better than the five or six weeks in the past."

That took Hoss' mind off his worry about his older brother and focused it back on the drive. "We hired on only a couple of extra hands for the drive. Do you want them back here for the fall or should we let them go at the end of the drive?"

"Use your best judgment. There's always a lot of work in the fall, but we wouldn't keep them on over the winter. We already have a full crew for those months with all the men who were here last winter agreeing to stay again."

"Why wouldn't they? Nice bunkhouse, good cooking, and reasonable pay for light work: I'd stay too."

Slapping Hoss on the shoulder, Ben headed to the house chuckling. Inside, he found his wife, Michele, and Annie with their heads together talking. When he asked what they were talking about, they said it was personal. He had some idea what that might be so he didn't pursue it. That night, Annie wore her best and most provocative gown and robe. Adam asked her what the occasion was, so she said he was going to be gone for three weeks, and they ought to spend a little time together. Adam nodded and Annie's heart fell. They made love or they had sexual relations. Adam held her afterwards pulling her close to him, but there was no sweet talk, and then he fell asleep again. The next morning, he hugged her, kissed her and the baby, and headed outside to saddle up and go. When she walked downstairs with Andrew, Michele looked at her.

"Well?"

"It worked, sort of. Michele, what if he doesn't want me any more? He's acting like he's not interested in me. What can I do?"

"He's going to be gone for three weeks. Try to be positive. Maybe it's just everything that's happened, and everything that he has on his mind now. Ben says that he's been moody at times in the past. Maybe this is one of those moods. Don't worry. He loves you. I'm sure of it." Except Michele wasn't at all sure of it, and Annie could detect the doubt in her voice making her worry all the more. Later as she nursed their son, she couldn't stop the tears. She had worried originally about how a man like Adam could love someone like her. His constant reassurances had alleviated that fear, but now she found that her insecurity was as great as it had always been.

Chapter 2

"Where's Adam? He's supposed to take this shift." Joe was riding night herd duty and was surprised to see Hoss ride up to him to relieve him instead of Adam.

"I know, Joe. He's sleeping and I didn't have the heart to wake him. He's been so tired lately. I think he might be coming down with something."

"Hoss, he hasn't said anything."

"Ya, well, you know how he is. He could have an arrow sticking out of his back, and he'd say he was fine just feeling a might uncomfortable is all. He won't tell anybody he's sick until he keels over, but he wasn't wearing his jacket today, and it's cool up here. All the rest of us were wearing ours."

"Yeah, I noticed that. We're going to be in these mountains for several more days. If he's sick, there's not going to be anything we can do about it up here."

"I know, and that's got me worried. I figured to let him sleep, and we can try to make things easier for him the next few days to see if that helps."

Joe was thoughtful for a moment. "He wouldn't be playing a game with us to see if we would do exactly that, would he?"

"I thought about that, but I think he was already feeling poorly during the roundup. He went to bed real early when we were home one night too."

"There could be a reason for that other than being sick. If I was married to someone that looked like Annie, I think I might be going to bed early every night."

"But that ain't their pattern. They walk outside and such before they go up to bed. Nah, something's wrong. I just don't know what it is."

The next morning, Adam was angry that he had not been awakened to do night herd duty even though Hoss had to shake him awake for breakfast. When Hoss did that, he realized how hot Adam was. His shirt was wet with sweat and his breathing was marked by light wheezing. So as Adam was complaining that as trail boss he should always do his part to keep the respect of the men, Hoss had another comment.

"You're riding in the wagon today."

"What? Why the hell would I want to do that?"

"You got a fever, and you're glassy eyed too. Cookie said you didn't eat no dinner last night, just drank water. You ain't gonna be on a horse today putting yourself at risk and the rest of us too ifn we gotta rescue you when you fall off your horse."

"I'm fine, and I'm not riding in the wagon."

"You think you can fight me on this? I could push you over with one hand the shape you're in. Now do I carry over to the wagon in front of everybody, or do you go on your own?"

The ease with which Hoss won that argument convinced even a skeptical Joe that Adam was truly ill. Hoss took over as trail boss. Adam sat in the wagon and slept most of the next two days leaning back against the wooden supports. Cookie told Hoss that on more than one occasion he had to grab for him so he didn't fall off the wagon seat. Adam's fever continued to worsen for the next several days until he was having trouble even walking by the time they cleared the mountain pass. He had been getting progressively more ill as the drive continued but suddenly was deteriorating faster than Hoss had anticipated. Hoss had Cookie drive the wagon into the small town near them.

There was no doctor there, but it was on the stage line. Hoss handed off trail boss duties to Candy for the remainder of the drive and headed toward home or the first town with a doctor in it. It took almost a week by stage to reach Virginia City. Hoss had to get help to get Adam out of the stage as he intermittently lost consciousness in the last day of their trip. Two men helped Hoss carry him to Doctor Martin's office. Roy always watched the stage come in so he was there as well and had someone ride to the ranch to tell them the news.

Doctor Martin asked Hoss a lot of questions about how long Adam had been ill and when he had first noticed that something was wrong. He could find no rash or any injury. There was no obvious swelling or bruising of any kind. Then the doctor had Hoss help him completely undress Adam removing even his drawers and began examining him very thoroughly using a magnifying glass in some spots. Finally he asked Hoss to bring a lamp very close. He was examining Adam's privates and Hoss wondered what could possibly be wrong. Using some cloth and a scalpel, the doctor made a tiny incision on the bottom of testicle and then used forceps to remove a tiny object which he placed in a metal bowl. He poured alcohol into the bowl. Next he took out bottles of solution and began alternately washing, flushing, and squeezing the incision that he had made. Adam began to thrash around with the pain of it and Hoss had to hold him down but it wasn't enough so they had to tie his legs to either side of the bed and Hoss held his upper body down as the doctor worked. Blood and other fluids stained the cloths the doctor was using. Finally he seemed satisfied and placed a large wad of cloth against the area. Adam had passed out due to the pain and his weakness.

"You can loosen the bindings now. I won't be causing him any more pain."

"Doc, what did you find and what were you doing there?"

"He had a tick embedded under the skin in the soft tissues there. It was releasing toxins into his system poisoning him and causing a type of tick fever. There was some infection there too."

Hoss' face turned white. "People die of that."

"He doesn't have the type of fever you're thinking of. That comes on fast and usually kills within a few days. This is more of a mild infection because the tick was in his body and it shouldn't have been and who knows what it brought in with it. He was fighting the infection but it was making him progressively weaker and would have killed him if it wasn't removed. I wish he had seen a doctor sooner."

"I got him to ya as fast as I could."

"I know, Hoss. I wasn't complaining about you. It's just that so many people out here get so sick and sometimes die because there isn't medical care near enough. You were able to get him here, but what of all those people in those small towns who don't have access to care? That's all I'm saying."

"I was praying along the way for a doctor too. I guess that's all people out there can do."

Doctor Martin had not wanted to make Hoss feel guilty. He got back to his patient. "Because of the delay especially, it will take some time for him to recover, but I see no reason why he won't if we can break that fever. We'll have to get him to take a lot of fluids to help rid his body of the infection, and he'll be very weak for some time. Once we get that fever down, then we can be fairly sure he will make a complete recovery."

"I saw where you was cutting. Is that going to be a problem for Adam?"

"Not any more than it's been. The tissues are soft there, and what I had to do caused some swelling, but as soon as that goes down, he won't have much discomfort."

Hearing some noise in the outer office, Doctor Martin went out to talk with Annie and Ben who had rushed into his office. Michelle walked in carrying Andrew a short time later. After explaining what he could and reassuring Annie that Adam would recover, Annie went in to see him. Paul asked Ben to go see if he could get some ice to place over the incision which Paul was leaving open to drain. As Annie approached Adam, she was dismayed to see his torso shiny with sweat. He was pale and had obviously lost some weight. Hoss was wetting cloths to wipe him down and handed one to Annie who sponged off one side as Hoss did the other. Keeping her busy helped her manage her emotions, but when Adam opened his eyes and said 'Hello, sweetheart', the tears flowed. Hoss excused himself to give the couple a little privacy except it didn't last long because Ben was back with some ice and came with Paul who packed it around the incision after checking the wad of cloth there.

"Good, the drainage is clear. I don't want to stitch that up until tomorrow, but everything is looking fine."

"Ah, Paul, could you tell me what you did."

So Paul explained to Adam that he had picked up a tick that found a nice warm place to snuggle in and had caused all of his symptoms. He showed him the now dead insect in the metal bowl. Paul's plan was for Adam to spend the day there, and in the morning, if the drainage was still clear, he would stitch up the incision for him so he could go home.

"He's going to need to ride in a wagon preferably laying down in the back or at the very least a carriage so that he can recline in the back seat. No sitting on hard surfaces for the next few days. He needs to drink lots of fluid and eat only light meals until he's feeling better."

Annie wanted to stay, but Andrew needed her so she had to return to the Ponderosa that evening with Michele and Ben. Hoss stayed in town to help out as needed. The next day, Ben was back with Annie and the large carriage to give Adam a ride home. Three packages had arrived for Adam, and he took them home with him opening them on the way to show Annie the new books he had ordered. Then he opened the third package and smiled.

"Preston Mitchell is coming for a visit. He sent these books with a note inside."

From the front seat, Ben asked what books he had gotten.

"I got Les Miserables by Victor Hugo which is in French. I sent for The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins because it's from a new school of writing called the Sensation school. I'm curious as to why they call it that. Preston sent me four books by Auguste Nicolas about the philosophy of Christianity. We used to debate the nature of religion and its role in society. I'm sure he wanted to remind me of that."

"Who's Preston Mitchell?"

"We were classmates and rivals in college. I think we both enjoyed the rivalry. We seldom agreed on anything philosophically so we had some spirited discussions. His parents let me stay with them for a couple of holidays because I couldn't go home like other students could. I told him if he ever traveled this way that he could stay on the Ponderosa."

"Do you think such a visit is what you need right now?"

"Annie, I will be bored sitting in bed for days. Preston will help liven up the place so I'm not so ornery."

Admiring his books, Adam didn't see the worried look that Annie had, but Ben did. His son needed to get back to paying attention to his marriage and his wife before he damaged both. Ben hoped that the enforced time at home would give him a chance to do that. He hoped to get a chance to talk with his son about that soon.

Chapter 3

"Don't you miss all the girls and the fun we had when we were out? No cares and no one to answer to. I thought we could do more of the same while I was here. Don't you miss that?"

"Yes, I guess I do." Adam paused. Hoss had gone to town to pick up Preston that afternoon. Adam had managed to sit for dinner but now reclined on his bed. Preston had come upstairs with him to chat about old times and so that each could catch up on news about the other. Adam knew what he wanted to say, and wanted Preston to know he was sincere. "But, Preston, I have so much more now. I can't tell you how good it feels to have a woman who loves you dearly at your side through anything. My joy at having a son made me feel like I had won the greatest prize of all. I can't imagine living any other way now. So I do miss the things we did as college students just as those things I did as a youth and just like I miss the things I did as a child. I have those memories, but I find my life now to be more fulfilling than those early experiences."

"What happens to your dreams then? What about travel, and more important, what about those buildings you wanted to design? What happens to all of that? I couldn't give up my plans for the future just to have the same woman by my side. It would be frustrating and demoralizing."

"I haven't given anything up. I can still design buildings. I think it may happen a bit later in my life than I originally intended, but I still work on designs and keep up with changes. I do small projects now, but eventually I want to take all my ideas and put them into a house of my own. After I do that, there may be more opportunities for me to use those skills."

For another hour, Preston talked about his plans and about the lives and accomplishments of former classmates. Finally he pleaded that he was more tired than he thought and excused himself to go to his room to get some sleep. Annie came in shortly after that with Andrew in her arms. She had heard Preston's question earlier about missing all the girls and fun as well as the first part of Adam's answer. Unfortunately she was so upset by then that she left without hearing the rest of the answer. When she came back in the bedroom after Preston left, Adam was reclining in the bed reading Les Miserables. That he was reading a book in French just reinforced her feelings that she was no longer that important to him.

"I'll sleep in the bedroom next door with Andrew again so we don't disturb you." She gathered her gown and closed the door to the adjoining room before Adam could respond. Tears flowed as she nursed their son and then dressed for sleep once the baby was sleeping peacefully in his crib. She lay down on the small bed next to the crib, but sleep eluded her.

The first reaction Adam had was anger over the obvious rejection. She had slept in the room with Andrew the three nights before so that he could spread his legs out and be more comfortable, but she had kissed him goodnight and left the door connecting the two rooms open. Now she had shut him out. He thought about what had happened recently and couldn't determine what it was that had caused this problem. The more he thought, the calmer he became. He began to relive the conversation he had with his father the afternoon just the day before. Ben had said he needed to speak with Adam privately.

"Adam, you haven't been married long, and you never had a long term relationship before."

"What are you trying to get at, Pa?"

"Well, I have seen signs that Annie doesn't feel as loved by you as she should."

"What? I tell her all the time that I love her."

"But do you show it?"

At first, Adam was thinking of the intimate life they had and how satisfying it was to him, but then began to consider that he hadn't asked Annie lately how she felt about it, and if there was something he could do to make her feel more pleasure. With the trouble with Manning, the roundup, the drive, and his illness, he realized it had been literally a month since they had talked about anything but things that needed to be done. There had been no romance for most of that time. He looked at his father who had been waiting patiently as Adam was thinking and nodded. "I guess being married four times does give you a different perspective on things. Thank you, Pa."

"I always try to remember that marriage needs as much attention as any other relationship in life and it's more important too. Sometimes it is the little things that matter most."

With that in mind, Adam got up and crossed to the closed door opening it quietly. He walked in and looked at his wife and child lying there in the moonlight. He knelt down very carefully next to where Annie lay and put his hand on her shoulder wondering if she was asleep. She felt the warmth of his hand and wanted to stay upset and angry with him, but she couldn't. She turned to look at him in the moonlit room.

"N'oubliez jamais que je t'aime!"

"What does that mean?"

"Never forget that I love you."

Even in the moonlight, Adam could see the wet cheeks glistening as she looked at him. He slid his hand down her arm until he reached her hand. He grasped it gently and whispered softly to her. "Come with me."

Almost reluctantly, Annie slipped from the bed and stood next to Adam as he rose from bended knee. He turned toward their bedroom and tugged just a little to get her to come with him. Then he closed the door to Andrew's bedroom and pulled Annie into his embrace. "Will you talk with me now?" That simple statement brought forth more tears. Adam held her and caressed her back until the crying subsided.

"I heard you before. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I thought I might be able to put Andrew in his bed early. He was so tired."

"What did you hear?"

"When Preston asked if you missed all the girls and the fun, and you said yes."

Adam waited for more and when there was no more, he had to ask. "You didn't hear the rest of my answer?" At her silence, he had his answer. "I said yes I missed those things like I missed the things of a child or a youth. I told him that what I have now though is so much better than any of those things I no longer have. There is nothing better than having a woman who loves you and a child that you made together."

"Really? That's what you said?" It was Adam's turn to nod. "I bet he didn't understand that at all."

"No, I don't think he did. I think you have to have the treasures I have to know how valuable they are. I love you, Annie, more than life itself. I cannot imagine living without you. If I ever take you for granted and forget to let you know how valuable you are to me, you need to give me a kick to remind me. I should make a greater effort to find time for you and give me a kick too if I ever neglect you."

"I could have done that, but you're pretty tender there now."

"You wouldn't have to kick me there!"

"Ah, but I would want to make sure you remember."

"You are quite sassy sometimes."

"I thought you liked that about me?"

"Yes, I do. I like that you can stand up to me. A docile woman would have grown to be predictable. You surprise me all the time. But I do want to remind you not to go to far. I still could spank you."

"You wouldn't dare. Remember, I can shoot."

Adam laughed softly into her hair as he nuzzled her. "And remember how we promised to be honest with each other?"

"I know. I'm sorry. I should have talked with you. I guess my old insecurities haven't been completely banished yet."

"By the way, I don't think I'm that tender any more." Annie couldn't see it, but if she could, she knew she would be seeing dimples right about then. Out of deference to his guest, Adam had worn a nightshirt. Annie reached down and grabbed the hem lifting the shirt up and over his arms and head as Adam raised his arms. Then Adam did the same with her gown pulling it up and off of her. He ran his hands down her back and felt her shiver. "Are you cold?"

"No, your touch does that to me. It's like warm lightning. It just makes my body quiver all over."

"What would you like me to do first?"

Annie smiled. He was being gentle and romantic like he was when they were first together. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered a few ideas in his ear. He was very agreeable to her suggestions. Neither got that much sleep and ended up oversleeping a little the next morning until Andrew reminded them that it was time to get up.

When they walked down the stairs together and smiling, Ben had a slight smile too especially when Michelle turned to him with a grin. All was well again. Adam walked slowly though so Ben asked him if he was hurting and then actually may have blushed a little when Adam said he had been exercising a bit too energetically the night before. Preston watched the whole scenario and found it all very surprising. From what he had seen the day before, Annie had been rather cool to Adam but now they were very warm with each other. Adam was even pointing out items in the room and giving her the French names for them.

Because Adam had promised a tour of some of the Ponderosa to Preston, Hoss volunteered to hitch up the carriage for him. Adam thanked him, but when Hop Sing offered to make a lunch for them to take along, Adam declined. He said that he wanted to be home to spend some time with his wife and son because they had been separated so much lately. Hoss and Joe volunteered to show Preston some of the ranch such as the horse breaking, but he declined saying he would enjoy some quiet time reading while Adam was with his wife and son. The disdain in Preston's voice was subtle but there, and the whole family heard it. He had been polite so far so he was forgiven that transgression. After breakfast, Adam kissed Annie and then gave Andrew a big hug before he left with Preston to take a short tour.

Chapter 4

"Now that is a view that speaks pure profit to me. You could cut those trees and make a fortune. There has to be gold and silver under those lumber too which would be easier to access after the trees are removed. Then you could ship lumber across the lake to California saving the expense of rail transport."

"There are several problems with your scenario."

"Adam, you're trained as an engineer and an architect. I'm sure you could overcome any obstacles. I could handle any legal issues if they arise. I'm here to see if we should set up a law office in San Francisco to handle our business dealings here as we are expanding our trade with China and the Sandwich Islands."

"It's good to see you so enthusiastic, Preston, but those weren't the kinds of problems I see in this ambitious plan of yours. If we cut the trees, the land erodes. If we mine extensively here, the tailings and such would all end up in the lake eventually. Then we would own an empire of barren rock and dirty water."

"You would have enough money by then that you could live anywhere you want to live. You could build yourself a magnificent place and one for each of your family too."

"Preston, we want to live here. We want the land to be our legacy to our children. We have all the wealth we need."

"But you could have so much more."

"Why would we want more? We have what we want."

"But you have to work every day at hard physical labor. You have things like tick infections to worry about. What of your son? Don't you worry about what would happen to him out here?"

"Preston, we do get newspapers here. I have seen all of the large cities of this country. There are dangers everywhere. Here at least, you can usually see them coming and have family and friends to stand by your side as you face them."

The debate between Adam and Preston continued until they reached the Ponderosa ranch house again and had to agree to disagree. Lunch was quite good of course with Hop Sing cooking. Preston had to comment on that too.

"You let your servant speak so familiarly with you and tolerate even his imprecations about your behavior. Doesn't anyone in the wilderness teach their servants to know their place?"

That pushed Annie too far and she spoke before Adam or anyone else could. "Mr. Hop is a member of this family as much as anyone else. He deserves our respect, and he has our love. It is not for some horse's patoot from the east to tell us who belongs here and how they should act."

"I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I never meant to insult anyone. Please accept my apology."

Everyone noted that Preston had apologized for irritating them but not for the words he had spoken, but he was a guest and deserved their forbearance so they gave it although begrudgingly on the part of several. Adam lightened the mood when he said he thought he heard his son calling him. He went to get him from his nap and brought him to the table where he cooed in Adam's arms to the delight of the rest of the family. Preston was surprised that a child especially a baby was even welcome at the dinner table but said nothing after his last comment had been met with such rejection.

After lunch, Annie took Andrew upstairs to nurse him as Adam and Preston sat down to a game of chess. Preston expected Adam to be out of practice with no worthy opponents out west to challenge him so was quite surprised at how quickly Adam defeated him. Annie returned downstairs with Andrew who put his arms out wide when he saw his father. Annie smiled for Andrew was still very young but he loved his father dearly.

"Preston, I'm sorry, but I have an earlier engagement. Perhaps you would like to play Annie for a bit. She's been learning the game and is an apt pupil." Adam sat then without waiting for his answer for his attention had shifted to his son.

Seeing Preston's disdainful look at Adam and at her made Annie furious. She sat down by the chessboard and began arranging the pieces. She would concentrate and try to remember everything Adam had taught her because she wanted more than anything to beat this man. Saying nothing, she simply waited until Preston nodded to her to take the first move. She did and the match was on. He used the same gambit he had used on Adam and it worked no better leaving his pieces vulnerable. After an hour of play, he had to concede. He congratulated Annie, and then stalked out of the house. Adam grimaced, handed Andrew to Annie, and followed Preston outside.

"I can't believe you let me be humiliated like that."

"You let yourself be humiliated. You opened against me with a gambit that is played when you intend to defeat your opponent quickly but leaves you open to checkmate if that plan fails. So I checkmated you in very few moves. When you played Annie without respect for her abilities, she taught you a valuable lesson."

"Like she gives you lessons every night?"

"Excuse me?"

"At night, I can hear you, you know, rutting with your peasant wench. Last night I could hardly sleep thinking about the two of you acting like beasts in the wilderness. But that's where we are, after all, isn't it. And you found yourself a quite willing trollop who will let you do anything you want."

"Preston, watch your mouth. We may have been friends for a long time, but I will not tolerate such comments."

"What, you can't stand hearing the truth?"

Adam hit him then and watched as he fell back against the stable door.

"Adam, don't forget I was boxing champion in our class. You better apologize for what you did, or I will have no choice but to teach you a lesson in manners."

Saying nothing, Adam stood with those cold eyes he could use when he was most angry. Preston wasn't about to be intimidated.

"That's the same look you gave me in the ring when we boxed for the championship. It didn't work then, and it won't work now."

Preston stood and slid his jacket off laying it across a barrel. Adam removed his as well. For the first time, Preston was a bit unnerved. Adam had added a lot of bulk since their college days, and it appeared as though it might all be muscle. Preston still had confidence in his skills but worried what it would be like if one of those fists made contact with him. He didn't have long to wait. His first blows were swept aside as Adam stepped inside his defenses with sheer force and began to pummel him. He was on the ground in less than a minute. It wasn't the gentleman's boxing he was used to doing. He had met cold fury and could not counter it. He raised his hands in surrender. Adam took a moment breathing deeply to calm himself.

"Why would you say such awful things? We have opened our home to you and treated you with respect even when you acted in a less than becoming way."

"You have an empire here, and you won't even use everything you have. You have a beautiful wife who adores you. You show the love for your son without any shame letting anyone who sees you know how much you care. You decide how to live each day and to hell with the rest of us and our opinions."

"That bothers you so much? Why?"

Standing slowly and holding a handkerchief to his bloody nose, Preston looked directly at Adam. "Because I'm jealous. I came out here to lord over you all that I've done and accomplished, and I find you have riches beyond compare. My wife wouldn't even travel with me, and she certainly doesn't allow me the liberties your wife allows you. My wife does her duty and has borne me two children. That's it. My children treat me as a proper father which means I am the sole means of support and they must ask my permission to do things. I have never been hugged by either of my children. I have never had one of them sit in my lap and lay his head against my chest. You have heaven here, and never did I expect that I would be jealous of what you have, but I am."

"You can have it too. You just have to reach out and grab it."

"I doubt that. If I move here, my wife has told me that I should grant her a divorce so she can marry a proper gentleman. My children are aghast that I would think of bringing them out here. Adam, to have what you have, I would have to start over."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want your pity. I just thought it was time to let all the truth out. Now I suppose I ought to pack and be on my way."

"You're welcome to finish your stay here as planned. Although I think my father is going to expect an explanation from me about why my guest looks like he was in a saloon fight."

"Yes, and I suppose then he will give you some fatherly advice and pat you on the shoulder."

"Maybe. You sound envious of that too and it's something I could do without sometimes."

"You may find it constraining, or knowing you, even suffocating at times, but my father touched me once in my lifetime and never gave me any advice. He told me what to do. When I graduated college with my degree, he said fine and tapped me on the shoulder. He said I was ready then to take over the New York office."

"Preston, whatever you decide to do, you can count on my help."

The two friends walked side-by-side into the house. Nothing was said by anyone about the bruises on Preston's face. He did make a greater effort to be pleasant and only annoyed Adam with his stories of some of Adam's less stellar experiences while in college as the others laughed. "Remember that Christmas that you were with my family. He stayed in my sister's room and she had to sleep with my baby brother. Well she got up to get a drink of water and walked into her room forgetting in her sleepy state that Adam was a guest and sleeping in her room. She took off her robe and slipped into bed with him. He didn't know what to do, so he got up and came to my room. My bed was much too small for two so he ended up sleeping on the floor all wrapped in a blanket. My father went to wake Adam the next morning before he woke me. He found my sister in that bed and the roar must have been heard for miles. We were scared, and it took quite a while to explain what had happened as no one had the complete story so we had to piece it all together bit by bit. If we hadn't, Adam would be my brother-in-law now."

"Preston, I never stayed at your house again."

While doing chores in the stable, Hoss and Joe made a number of bawdy comments to Adam about sleeping with Preston's sister. That night, Annie lay by Adam's side after they had made love again. She asked him what had happened with Preston so he told her. He had not wanted to do that, but they had pledged honesty with each other so he had to tell her. Surprisingly, she said she felt sad for Preston instead of angry. Adam was relieved by that, but it didn't stop Annie from a few barbed comments at Preston the next day to let him know she knew what he had said.

Properly chastised, Preston apologized and he realized he had made a sincere apology to a woman probably for the first time in his life. He began to like Annie more and more realizing what a good choice Adam had made. Then he sent a telegram to his wife telling her he had decided they ought to relocate to San Francisco. Her return message said his father would help her with the divorce decree on the grounds of desertion if he did not return immediately. He had some mixed feelings about that and sent a telegram to his father. The reply was what he hoped to get.

Chapter 5

"That's rather cavalier of you, and sudden too, isn't it?" Leaning against the corral fence, Adam was surprised at Preston's revelations about his plans for his future, and that they did not include his wife who wasn't going to be his wife for long apparently.

"Adam, my marriage was for business. It wasn't for love. She will make another match for probably the same reason. She wanted financial security for herself and any children she had, and she wanted to be in the right social circles. I gave her that."

"But, Preston, what of your children? You can just say goodbye to them like this?"

"Adam, they will miss me less than their mother will miss me. As long as there is financial support so they can maintain their lifestyle and their friends, they won't mind."

"I just can't accept that as true. And your father will help you with all of this?"

"He has what he wants. He has grandchildren to carry on his name. He has me out here to expand our business operations and bring in more money. He'll probably step in and suggest a suitable match for her to stop the gossips. Perhaps she will marry my cousin. His wife died in childbirth and he has no children. This way she wouldn't even have to change her name, and he would get children who are biologically related to him."

"This is incomprehensible to me."

"That's because you live out here. You have never lived with the rigid social conventions of eastern society. There are all sorts of rules and nothing at all about feelings. I feel more free now than I have ever felt in my life. I will never marry again unless it is my idea and perhaps even for love. It seems to have made you quite happy to have done so. I'm not really all that sure of how to go about it, but when I return to San Francisco, I shall find a place to live and start attending events until I find some companionship. I doubt that people out here would be so intolerant of someone who is divorced. In fact, I doubt whether I should have to even tell anyone that. I only need inform them that I am in fact unmarried."

"I said I would help you, and I will, but I have to tell you what I think too."

"I know you do, Adam. It's one of the reasons I value our friendship so much. We have always been able to be honest with each other, and even when we think the other is being foolish or completely wrong, we can still count on the other to help. Now, in a week or so, I plan to return to San Francisco. I will need a place to live until I can buy or build a home. I'll need office space as well and probably letters to introduce me to various clubs and such so that I will be welcome."

"I can help you with all of that. I will be gone for a few days though. Pa told me we are expecting another guest this week. She is the daughter of an old friend of his. We often seem to meet his old friends this way. Pa's friend is in Sacramento for business and will be tied up in meetings over the railroad contracts and bidding for the better part of a month. His daughter is coming here to relax and have some fun."

"Her father will let her journey alone?"

"No, only for part of the way and that's why I've been delegated to go get her. I still get uncomfortable after an hour or two in the saddle, and that makes me expendable right now. I'll probably be gone a few days. I'm taking the stage to Reno and then meeting her as she disembarks from the California train. We'll make the return trip by train on the spur to Carson City. Someone from the ranch will meet us there."

"And I am to behave myself while you're gone and not antagonize any member of your family?"

"Well, there is certainly nothing wrong with your cognition. Yes, that is exactly what I am asking."

"When are you leaving?"

"This morning. Annie is giving me a ride to town. Would you like to ride along?"

"Would she mind?"

Annie walked up behind Preston. "Certainly, but as a guest, you do have privileges. Now let's get going. Andrew is sleeping now but he'll be missing me in three or four hours."

"You are direct."

"If you mean honest, yes. Most people out here are. We don't have time to play silly games. Sometimes we need information, and we need it when we ask. Now do you still want to ride along?"

Smiling, Preston nodded. Adam went to the house to grab his valise, and then climbed in the carriage with Annie at his side and her arm through his elbow as she leaned against him. Preston sat in the back and relaxed watching Adam and Annie and plotting how he would be changing his life to achieve some of the same things Adam had, but doing it in style in the city and among the wealthy and powerful. He hoped to have it all yet. Annie told him there would be a party when their guest arrived, and she and he would be the guests of honor. They would be inviting people in town after Adam left on the stage. Preston was agreeable to that for he had been to town several times now and found it more to his liking than he would ever have thought possible. He wondered if there was something playing at Piper's for which they could get tickets. Then he invited Annie to have lunch with him at the new French restaurant in town although she had to decline because she needed to get home to Andrew. She did mention though that they could order food and take it with them for even Hop Sing did not attempt the pastries and a few other things that the restaurant had on its menu. Preston never would have thought that such things would be available in a town so far west, and he had learned that San Francisco had much more to offer. Preston's father had been very agreeable to the idea that Preston would handle their business dealings in the west and therefore he would never have to travel out there. He made that decision without knowing that for the first time in his life he had done something to truly make his son happy.

At the stage, Adam pulled Annie into a hug and kissed her soundly reminding her of the lusty loving of the night before. She actually blushed a little when he whispered in her ear what he planned for them to do on his return. Seeing her slight blush, Preston had some idea what Adam had said. He remembered that when Adam was in school, he had been very adventurous with the ladies while Preston had been more staid, but Preston was willing to watch and learn now for he had plans. Adam shook Preston's hand and then swung up into the stage taking his seat with two other passengers. Annie waved as the stage left and then looked at Preston.

"Well, Sheriff Coffee and Doctor Martin are first on our list to invite. Then we'll see the minister and a few others. We can stop at the restaurant on the way and put in an order so we can pick it up before we go."

"Annie, I didn't bring much money with me. If we're bringing lunch back, I'm afraid I won't be able to pay the bill."

"We'll put it on a tab. Everyone in town is willing to do that for us."

Preston was thinking at that point that it was nice being one of the big fish in a small pond. There were some other wealthy people who lived in Virginia City after they made fortunes in mining. The wealth the town generated was in evidence by the number of dress shops and jewelry stores he saw. There were of course many saloons and restaurants as well. He found Annie to be a pleasant conversationalist but then realized he should have known that. Adam had said something to that effect when they were in school. Preston remembered the conversation well when Adam had ignored a beautiful girl who wanted his attentions beyond one date. "I need someone with whom I can talk when we're not in bed." It seemed like a good standard to use.

As they walked, Annie introduced Preston to a number of people. He was especially happy to meet the banker and several mine owners who had just come from a meeting. He was surprised that Annie did not invite them to the party. They did stop in the Cattleman's Association and invite all the men who were there, and Annie asked them to spread the word among the other ranchers.

"Doesn't the president of the Bank of California branch here deserve an invitation?"

"Papa Ben said to invite our friends. The party is not to seal deals or make connections with wealthy people. This is a party to introduce you and our other guest to the friends of the family. As you should already know, Cartwrights are loyal to their friends."

"You don't like me much, do you?"

"I like you better now that you hold back on some of your remarks and looks. I don't think you've changed at all, but Adam, shall we say, convinced you to mind your manners. I am grateful to you for making the effort. It just gives credence to the argument that you are a good friend of his."

"You don't believe I think of Adam as a friend?"

"I think perhaps you do, but I'm not sure you know what is expected of a friend. You do what suits your purposes."

"You make me out to be a coldhearted scoundrel using people to get what I want."

Looking at Preston, Annie shrugged. It was exactly what she thought, but Adam said Preston was his friend so she decided she had said enough already, and chose to change the subject by pointing out that they were near Piper's and could get tickets for the show that was in town then.

Preston decided he needed to make a greater effort and needed to mend some fences so for the next few days, he spent time touring some of the ranch as Hoss and Joe had offered to show him. He surprised himself by finding the horse breaking corrals to be fascinating as he watched man and horse fight to see who would be the master. Sooner or later, all of the horses capitulated. Preston mentioned that it would make a fine subject for gambling, and was surprised to learn from Joe that in a rodeo held each year, that did happen.

"If you extend your visit by a few days, you can see a rodeo. It's a week from Saturday. There's a big dance at night, fireworks, and all sorts of things. Adam isn't in the kissing booth this year, so perhaps you would like to take an hour."

"Joe, that does sound like fun. Perhaps I will ask Adam if it would be all right for me to stay just a few days longer."

"Well, do you want to ride with Hoss to Carson City to pick him and our guest up later today? Annie can't go so Hoss would probably appreciate the company."

Trying his best not to show how he felt about riding several hours with Hoss, Preston smiled and agreed. As they traveled to Carson City, Preston made an effort to be interested in the things that Hoss liked to talk about, but he had little interest in cattle breeding, ranching, or wildlife so it was difficult. When they arrived in Carson City and got a look at the guest, Preston was very happy to have made the ride though. Adam was standing on the railroad station platform with a blonde woman who appeared to be about twenty-five years old, and had the body of a Greek goddess and the face of an angel.

"Hoss, Preston, I would like to introduce Margaret McCloud of Boston."

"I'm very happy to meet you gentlemen. My luggage isn't much, but I could use some help with it."

Preston and Hoss nearly collided with each other as they scrambled to pick up the three large valises that Margaret had brought with her. Adam stood smirking, and Margaret saw him and shook her head. "You said there's another one on the ranch?"

"Yes, I have two brothers. You've met Hoss, so Joe will be happy to see you when we get to the ranch. Preston is a good friend from my college days. I didn't expect him to be here."

Having secured Margaret's luggage in the carriage, Preston and Hoss rushed back to offer to escort Margaret to the carriage. She obliged both by putting out both hands for them to grasp. The three walked to the carriage with Adam walking behind carrying his small valise. He wondered how they would work the arrangement in the carriage, but Hoss was forced to drive so he was going to lose out until Margaret said she would like to sit up front to see the views as they traveled. The look on Preston's face was priceless. As Preston grimaced from the back seat, Adam grinned, tossed his valise in the boot of the carriage, and climbed into the back seat. Then he had to tell Hoss they could leave because it seemed his brother was unaware of anything except the beautiful woman seated next to him. Adam prepared himself to be entertained by the antics of three men for the next week or two while Margaret was visiting.

Chapter 6

"I thought Joe's eyes were going to pop out of his head when he met Margaret. She isn't going to be bored while she's here, is she?"

Annie was leaning on Adam's chest and playing with his chest hair as they talked in bed. Andrew was sleeping peacefully in the next room. Adam had claimed to be exhausted from his travels and retired early. Annie of course had to nurse Andrew. As soon as she finished that, Adam had helped her undress. All he was wearing at the time were his pants so he soon joined her in bed, and they enjoyed some time caressing and kissing before making love. Now warm and relaxed, they had time to talk. Early each night and sometimes in the morning before Andrew awakened they had found were their best times to share their thoughts. The topic this evening was Margaret and the impact she had had on three men. Ben and Michele had been enchanted with her, but Hoss, Joe, and Preston were almost literally falling over each other to try to spend time with her.

"On the way back from Carson, Hoss sat up on that seat like he had a rod down his back. You have never seen him sit up straighter. He told her about every animal that lives in the Sierra. He was even talking about tree frogs. She seemed interested, but Preston was just frustrated. He literally leaped from the carriage when we got here so he could help her down. Then Pa and Joe came out, and Joe poured on the charm. So when you saw her, there was Joe on one side and Preston on the other, and all three trying to walk through the doorway at the same time."

"What happened to Hoss?"

"He helped me unhitch the carriage and bring in the luggage. I think he feels like he doesn't stand a chance with her. But the funny thing is that she seemed more interested in talking with him than in anything Preston or Joe have had to say."

"Why is that funny?"

"Most women only see Hoss as big, and don't recognize the value of the man. Margaret seems to like him a lot already." Adam could see Annie quite well because as usual, they had not turned down the lamps when they made love. He got concerned when he saw how she looked. "Now don't get involved in this. It's up to Margaret to choose to spend time with any or all of them. She's a smart lady. She can handle it."

"Well, it couldn't hurt to help Hoss out a little. We know how Joe can be. What's Preston like when he's pursuing a woman?"

"A lot like Joe, and he really shouldn't be pursuing a lady yet anyway. He's still married until that divorce decree arrive and he signs it and sends it back so it can be registered."

Hearing the change in Adam's tone of voice, Annie had a question. "You don't like what he's doing, do you?"

"No, and I've told him so. It's not so much the marriage. The way he described it, that I could understand. But he's turning his back on his children too so he can do what he wants. It isn't the right thing to do."

"Preston did try to be nicer while you were gone. He did help me with some of those French words and phrases you left for me to study. N'oubliez jamais que je t'aime!"

"Très bon travail."

"J'ai étudié tous les soirs."

"Excellent! Je t'aime. And such hard work and studying should be rewarded."

"Did you have something in mind?"

"Yes, I thought that I could give you a massage."

"Would that be a reward for me or for you?"

"Sweetheart, it will be a reward we can both enjoy." Adam pulled Annie toward him so he could begin massaging her back as she lay across his chest. Things progressed from there as he massaged every part of her, and she found that she did indeed enjoy it, and he was correct too in that he enjoyed it as much as she did. They overslept again the next morning and made everyone wait breakfast on them. Both apologized but Adam could see from Ben's look that he wasn't at all in a forgiving mood. He began to think he needed to spend more time on the plans for a new house.

Breakfast was dominated by descriptions of the Ponderosa and all the sights to be seen. Preston was out of luck on that one, so Margaret's day was split between Joe and Hoss. She would tour the ranch to see the horses with Joe, and then after lunch, she would get to ride with Hoss to see some of the cattle operations. Preston looked glum. By dinner, there was all sorts of things to discuss. After dinner, Preston offered a chess game, Hoss offered checkers, and Joe offered a walk in the garden. None of those offers were accepted as Margaret said she was going to be with Michele and Annie as Hop Sing had agreed to teach them how to make noodles.

In the kitchen, the three ladies watched and learned from Hop Sing as they got to know each other. For Margaret, it was a pleasant break. She was so tired of men trying to impress her. She knew she was beautiful and often wished she wasn't because men never seemed to care to get to know her. They wanted her beauty, but never worried about winning her heart or touching her soul. Annie broke the ice about the three would be suitors first.

"So, which of the guys do you like best?"

"I'm not so sure I like any of them all that much. You see, I know what I look like. Men are always falling all over themselves to get near me. It is tiresome."

Michele and Annie shook their heads over that one. Who would have thought such beauty could be a burden. Annie still wanted to know what kind of man attracted Margaret's attention so she asked.

"Now don't take this the wrong way, but I enjoyed time with your husbands more than the time I spent with the others today. Adam was not trying to impress me or win me, so we talked about all sorts of things to pass the time. He is so proud of his wife and son, and you can hear the love in his words. Ben talks the same way. They treat me like a normal person, and they ask about me and what I like just like you're doing. Hoss was like that on the ride from Carson City yesterday telling me all about animals here and asking me about animals I had seen on my travels, but then today he was just like all the other men."

"So you'd rather go see a tree frog than having them try to impress you with how much better they are than any other man?"

"Yes, Annie, that's exactly it. I want to be treated like any person would like to be treated. To many men, I am an object like anything else they can possess. I want to be a friend and confidante not a prize. Hop Sing has been wonderful to me too treating me like a member of the family as soon as I arrived. Hop Sing, I can see why the family loves you so."

Hop Sing smiled and nodded. He wasn't quite ready to join in this conversation but had an idea of how he could help one of the sons the next day. Annie was having similar thoughts but would have to enlist Adam's help. Michele looked over at Annie as she concentrated on her plan. She smiled for she and Annie had discussed helping Hoss with Margaret and now it seemed Annie was formulating a plan. The rest of the evening passed quickly as they learned how to make the noodles and then helped Hop Sing plan the menu for the party. They all agreed to help with the cooking and the baking the day before the party. Michele told Margaret that as a guest she didn't have to do that and got one of those looks from Margaret.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot just for a moment that you want to be treated just like everyone else. But I will have to explain to Ben why our guest will be working in a hot kitchen." The three ladies chuckled at Michele's comment and then helped to clean up the mess they had made.

Surprised that Annie wanted his help and reluctant to help her play matchmaker, Adam did have to agree that her request was reasonable. "So all I have to do is talk to Hoss and tell him to do ordinary things with Margaret and not try to impress her?" Annie nodded. "All right. I can do that, but don't ask me to do anything more, please. I'm not comfortable with this matchmaking stuff, and Joe's going to be upset enough. I don't want him upset with me."

"If you do this well, no one will ever know you did anything."

"No one except you, Michele, and Hoss."

"Well, yes I suppose that's true, but we can all keep secrets."

"While you're plotting, is there any particular activity that you think Hoss ought to do?"

"No, if he's himself, I think that will do it. He just has to do what he would do if the guest on the Ponderosa wasn't the most gorgeous female I have ever seen."

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed."

That started a pillow fight that ended up the same way all of their fights did. Adam grabbed Annie pinning her arms behind her back and kissing her as he apologized for making her angry. This time it was mock anger so the whole pillow fight only lasted less than a minute. Making up took much longer and made them sleep very relaxed and warm in each other's arms.

The next morning, Joe was giving Margaret a chance to ride one of the their horses and take him through some of the training they did with the horses. Annie wondered if somehow he had heard their conversation of the night before. Then she realized he was wearing his best shirt and had polished his boots. He was still trying to impress Margaret even if the activity of the morning would be something she would enjoy despite Joe's efforts to make her concentrate on him. Joe wanted to end his time with Margaret on a picnic, but Hop Sing had told her he had something special for her lunch so she declined. When Joe returned with Margaret from their ride, her horse was behaving as Margaret had done a good job letting him know who was boss. Joe took care of the horses so Margaret could go inside to freshen up before lunch. Adam was working the forge and had his shirt laying over a barrel. Margaret couldn't help but notice when she dismounted, and she kept looking back as she walked to the house. She saw Annie and Michele as she entered the house. Pointing behind her, she looked at Annie and only had one thing to say.

"You are a very lucky woman." Blowing a puff of air out to emphasize her statement, she excused herself to go to her room to change clothes.

Annie and Michele walked to the door to see what she could mean. Michele smiled and Annie had a self satisfied look as they watched a shirtless Adam pounding away at metal on the anvil. "She is right. You are a very lucky woman."

At his desk, Ben had to ask what they were talking about. Annie answered before she went out to talk with Adam.

"Oh, it's just Adam working at the forge."

Shaking his head, Ben got back to his paperwork. He was used to women stopping to stare whenever one of his sons was working shirtless. Usually they weren't members of the family, but then he thought they probably saw it so often, they didn't need to comment any more. He had to admit his share of staring ever since Margaret had arrived. She was certainly a treat for the eyes. A few minutes later, Hoss walked in from his morning work. He had already washed in the washroom and put on the clean shirt that Hop Sing had handed to him.

"What's for lunch? I'm powerful hungry."

Now Hop Sing walked out and handed a basket to Hoss. "All special food. You picnic with Missy Margaret. I promise her special lunch."

"Well, thank you, Hop Sing, but I don't rightly know ifn she wants to go on a picnic with me."

Coming down the stairs, Margaret had heard. "I do like the idea of a picnic. Perhaps it is time to go down to that lake I've seen in the distance? Is it far?"

"No, ma'am, not too far. I can take you down to the lake. I'll go hitch up the buggy right now."

Annie walked back in and told Hoss that Adam had the buggy ready for him. Hoss smiled and looked over at Margaret. "Ready for our picnic?" Margaret smiled and took his arm. Hoss had the biggest grin he could manage as he walked out with her. Adam was holding the reins and tossed them to Hoss once he helped Margaret up into the carriage.

Annie came out to take Adam's arm as she looked up at him. "Did you have that talk with Hoss?"

"Yes, I told him to be himself. He didn't think much of the idea, but I told him you and Michele thought he should try that. He listened because you two suggested it. Apparently he has little confidence in my ability to win women."

"Perhaps having witnessed how you did with me, he thought perhaps you weren't the best at winning a lady's heart and courting her?"

Thinking back to how difficult that had been for him, Adam sighed. "You may be right about that. It's all up to Hoss now."

At first, Hoss chatted about the weather and the trees and anything he could think of so he wasn't talking about himself. Then he did the smartest thing he had done so far. He asked Margaret to compare where she grew up to the Ponderosa so she got to talk about her childhood which then led to the two of them comparing their experiences. At the lake, they hiked up some boulders to see the lake from where Hoss said he and Adam liked to dive into the lake. They enjoyed their lunch up there as Hoss had carried the basket with him. Then they clambered down and walked along the shore. Margaret turned out to be good at skipping stones so they had a few contests to see who could get the most skips. Margaret had more skill but Hoss was stronger so it ended up being close each time. They laughed and took off their footwear and walked in the cool water. As the sun began to dip, both of them regretted that the afternoon was over. On the ride back, they found all sorts of things to talk about. When they returned just before dinner, a perturbed Preston and Joe were waiting on the porch. They heard the two laughing before they saw them which only irritated them more, but when Margaret accepted their escort into the house, they were placated somewhat. Hoss took care of the carriage, and Annie sent Adam out for a progress report.

"Adam, we had a good time. She said she would like to think of me as a friend." Hoss was a little discouraged by that.

"Hoss, you didn't think you would be in love after one afternoon, did you?"

"Well, no, but I was hoping for more than being a friend."

"She considers you a friend, and that's a great start. Just keep treating her like a friend and see what happens. For now, she appears to enjoy your company more than the other two."

"Really? You think so?"

"Yes, but don't make it out to be a competition. She doesn't want to be possessed by anyone. She's an independent person and wants to be recognized for who she is and not how she looks."

"It's funny, Adam. While we were skipping stones at the lake, she was like one of them gals I went to school with instead of the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. It was fun."

"Ah, Hoss, you are well on your way. Now, maybe I can get Annie to back off on the matchmaking. Seems like you're doing just fine."

Chapter 7

"Where's Hoss?" Joe grabbed Adam's arm as he was about to pour some punch at the party. "We agreed that no one was going to monopolize Margaret tonight, and she's gone and he's gone."

"Joe, it could all be quite innocent, and doesn't the lady get some say in how her time will be spent?"

"Not when we made a deal."

It was very clear that Joe's temper was up. He had his shoulders bunched up and he was walking with the stiff legged toe walk he had when he was itching for a fight. To him, Margaret was a prize, and he thought he had the edge in the contest. Adam shook his head and tried to calm him down. "Joe, Margaret is a very intelligent woman. She would not be pleased to know that any of you made a deal about her. She would like to be asked and have the opportunity to make her own decision. In fact, I'm surprised that Hoss agreed to such a thing."

"Well, he didn't exactly. Preston and I told him how it was going to be. He nodded and smiled and walked out here. I thought he agreed to our deal."

"And I'm thinking that the two of you miscalculated on that one. Hoss knows better than to treat Margaret like some prize to be won in a carnival contest. Now there are many lovely ladies here tonight who would appreciate some attention. Why don't you find a willing partner and dance a bit?" Adam put his hand on Joe's arm to see if he could get him to look at him. It didn't work as Joe forcefully threw off his hand and stalked away. Annie came up to Adam after witnessing the altercation.

"Trouble?"

"Oh yeah. Joe wants his allotted time with our guest, and she's nowhere to be found."

"I think I saw her go into the stable with Hoss."

"The stable? I wonder what they're doing in there." Looking at Annie, Adam grinned. "But I am definitely not telling Joe, and I'm going in there to find out either. How about a dance, sweetheart?" The two of them forgot completely about the romantic endeavors of the brothers. As soon as Adam's hand was on her waist, Annie had no thoughts except of him. Adam felt her hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand, and it seemed like the temperature had risen exponentially. Her body pressed against his as they danced and her dress accentuated the curves of her figure quite nicely. "Is Andrew asleep?" At Annie's nod, Adam had a suggestion. "I think we ought to go check on him."

"In the middle of the party?"

"We're not the guests of honor, and we'll be back soon."

They were back a lot sooner than they intended for as they reached the house and began to climb the stairs, there was quite a commotion outside. Annie and Adam looked at each other, shrugged, and headed back outside. To say that Preston and Joe were making a scene was putting it mildly. Apparently, with Margaret off somewhere with Hoss, Preston had been decided to put his sights on other young ladies, and when he approached Mary Ellen Martin, Joe got jealous.

Joe started the altercation and it was escalating rapidly. "You're too old for her."

"Maybe what she wants is a man, not a boy." Preston's comments hit Joe where he was most sensitive.

"You shouldn't be chasing after her anyway as long as you're still married." That brought a hush to the crowd just as Adam and Annie got back outside but also when Margaret and Hoss walked out of the stable. Adam headed toward his brother and his friend stepping between them to try to stop the fight that was about to take place. Unfortunately, he stopped it in a way he had not intended as he got hit by blows from both men who had been aiming at each other of course. Adam dropped like a sack of grain. Both Joe and Preston knelt by his side immediately to see how he was but got pushed aside by Annie who pushed her way through.

"You boys! See what you've done with your childish games. Now get back to your corners and sit there until someone tells you it's all right to come out." At the efforts of the men to apologize, she sneered and said they could try that with Adam when he got his senses back. By then, Ben was there, and with Annie, managed to help Adam stagger back into the house. Hoss would have been there too but had his own problems. Margaret was still holding the kitten that Hoss had showed her. It had been orphaned and needed to be bottle fed. But more importantly, Margaret wanted Hoss to tell her why no one had mentioned to her that Preston was married. She stood looking at him with fiery eyes waiting for his response.

"Well, you weren't spending much time with him, and I didn't know if you knew or not."

"That is not acceptable. If I can't have honesty from a man, I don't want to spend time with him. Now what's the real reason you didn't tell me?"

"Well, ma'am, you see, he's getting a divorce so he won't be married much longer, and I didn't see it was my place to be telling tales on other folks. I figured if the two of you did spend some time together, it ought to be his responsibility to tell ya."

"Well, I still don't like it, but at least that answer makes sense. Thank you for being honest. Now I believe I have a kitten to feed, and at the moment, I think I would like to do it alone. I have some things to think about."

In the house, Hop Sing had brought water, cloths, and salve for Adam as Annie wiped his face and applied cool compresses to the rising lumps on either side of his face. "Next time, would you please try not to block those fists with your face, please?

His answer muffled by the sore jaw and the cloths, Adam agreed. It was difficult to understand what he said next so Annie asked him to repeat it. "I'm just glad it wasn't Hoss and Preston fighting."

Walking in the front door then, Hoss heard his statement. "I'm real sorry, Adam, that this silliness got you hurt. I guess it is about time to ask Margaret if she wants to spend time with any of us. Maybe she would just like to be with the ladies. We never asked what she wanted."

Ben stood and put his hand on Hoss' shoulder. "Son, you have learned a lot about women these last few days. Yes, it would be a good idea to ask Margaret what she would like to do."

"I agree." Margaret walked out of the kitchen with a small bottle of milk and egg that Hop Sing had prepared for the kitten. He had showed her how to feed the little one, and then handed her a towel so she could sit on a chair and do just that. "Hoss, I did enjoy our picnic and time at the lake. I wouldn't mind more excursions like that. I did like learning how to make noodles and then helping get ready for the party yesterday. I liked being introduced to this little kitten. I would like to dance too, but I don't like men out there staring at me and practically drooling as they line up for the dance they think I owe them."

Standing at the open door, Joe had heard it all. He walked in a bit sheepishly then. "I've apologized to everyone out there that I can. I owe a lot of apologies in here too. Adam, I am real sorry I lost my temper like that and that you got hurt because of it. Pa, I'm sorry to have acted that way at our party. Finally, Margaret, I am very sorry to have treated you the way I did because of how your beat. I wasn't being respectful of you as a person, and I apologize for that." Getting nods of acknowledgement all around, Joe thought it best that he keep quiet. He didn't often get that impulse but knew he should listen to that inner voice this time.

By then, Adam was laying on the settee with his head in Annie's lap. Ben decided he needed to head out to see to his guests, and with one last scowl for Joe and Hoss, he did just that. Annie looked at Hoss and used her head to indicate Margaret.

"Ah, ma'am, would you like to attend church with us tomorrow? Joe and I would be pleased if you would go with us. Maybe after church, we could take a ride to the lake but look at it from up on the ridges. It sure is pretty up there."

"Hoss and Joe, I would be very happy to do that. It sounds like a wonderful day. Will we be able to have a picnic? I seldom have been on picnics, and this is such a lovely setting out here for them."

Joe nodded and smiled. "Yes, ma'am, we'll help Hop Sing clean up later, and then see if he would put together a basket for us."

It was clear that Preston was out of the running, and he knew that too. He informed Adam later that he would be leaving as scheduled on Monday so that he could get started on the things he needed to do in San Francisco. He invited Adam, Annie, and the rest of the family to visit any time. He said he would be pleased to have them stay at his place as soon as he had one. The party concluded at a reasonable hour. Hoss and Joe got most of the cleanup duties with some help from Preston and Margaret but they often didn't know where things were supposed to go limiting their assistance. Adam went to bed with a headache, and Annie had to take care of Andrew.

The next day, Hoss and Joe were on their best behavior especially after they saw Adam at breakfast with a large bruise on either side of his face. Annie was shooting darts with her eyes daring anyone to say anything about it. Her plans for the previous evening had fallen apart and she wasn't at all happy about that. Adam and Annie stayed home when the others went to church. Adam did not want to have to deal with all the questions that his bruised face would cause. Hoss and Joe took Margaret on a picnic and a tour of the ridges where the views were spectacular. Hoss told her that Adam had once planned to build a house there for his family.

"Was? Why wouldn't he build here? It's the most beautiful spot I think I have ever seen with the lake, the trees, and the mountains. To walk out of your house every morning to this would be like living at heaven's gate."

"Ah, well, we had some trouble recently at the house. Adam's worried about having Annie and Andrew out here by themselves when he's working. Now he's planning to build nearer to the house just beyond that grove of trees in the back."

"What kind of trouble?"

So Hoss explained how he had fallen in love with a woman named Marsha who turned out to be on the run after moving all of a major criminal's assets into accounts that only she could access. Then when he came after them to get to her, she ran away. He mentioned that the authorities were looking for her in New Orleans, but no one had told them if they apprehended her or not.

"How did you meet her?"

"Well I thought it was just by accident, but she knew Adam, and she probably set up the meeting with me so she could get to the Ponderosa. We think she was setting us up right from the start. If we killed Manning, she was free and clear. If Manning killed us, then the whole Nevada government would have been after him, and he would never have gotten away."

"That's very cold-hearted. Could she really have been that immoral?"

"Yes, ma'am, she could." Hoss looked a bit beaten down by having to explain his whole part in that fiasco.

"Yep, big brother here sure knows how to pick em."

"Joe, that was quite cruel to say that to your brother." Margaret had looked at Hoss after Joe made that comment and could see that it hurt him.

"Margaret, we tease each other all the time." Joe got a little testy at Margaret's comment.

"Yes, I have enjoyed the banter too, but this one went too far. You should apologize, I think."

"It's all right, Margaret. He's like that all the time. Don't matter none." Hoss was used to Joe's barbed and sometimes hurtful comments. Unlike Adam's comments which were sometimes funny and sometimes barbed but never hurtful, Joe's had a way of hitting the sore spots with Hoss.

"Gees, Hoss, I didn't know that bothered you so much. I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Joe, but we should think about heading home. Those clouds are moving in fast, and we're a good hour from home yet."

They barely made it home before the storm hit. Hoss took the carriage as close to the house as he could, and Joe escorted Margaret inside. They shook the raindrops from themselves at the front door before entering. Ben asked where Hoss was just as thunder rattled the house windows.

"Oh, he's taking care of the horse and carriage. He told me to help Margaret to the house."

Ben knew then that Hoss had scored another point with Margaret by putting her first, and taking the onerous job and giving Joe the easy one. Margaret asked if Hoss was going to need some help, and Joe said he could handle everything just fine. Smiling at Joe's naiveté, Ben grabbed his slicker and one for Hoss and headed to the stable. Hop Sing brought out hot cocoa and cookies, setting a large portion aside that he said was for Mister Hoss as he gave Joe a disdainful look.

"What did I do?" Joe was wondering how he had made Hop Sing upset.

"Perhaps letting Hoss do all the dirty work, while you sit warm and snug inside." Adam may have said it, but Annie nodded.

"Well I guess I could go help."

Except that Hoss and Ben came in at that moment with a gust of wind. They took off their slickers and headed for the hot cocoa and cookies. Margaret slid over on the settee making room for Hoss to sit as she gave him a big grin. "Hop Sing said that plate is all yours, big man."

Annie was sitting on the arm of the chair where Adam was, and she leaned down and kissed him because she was so happy her matchmaking was going so well and didn't know what else to do. Adam grinned at her happiness while Joe was wondering what all the big smiles were about.

Chapter 8

On Monday morning, Adam brought Preston to town to catch the stage. Preston was only mildly disappointed not to have caught Margaret's fancy. For him, it would have been only a dalliance as he was looking forward to being with a number of women now that he was getting his freedom back.

"Didn't you ever cheat on your wife if you were so unhappy with her? It must have been difficult to be with someone so cold."

"No, I would not have an affair. You must remember that in college, I was very careful with whom I was seen. Now I did visit some houses to pay a fee to get physical relief, but there's no emotional entanglement and no relationship there."

"So, you're looking to do the same thing now?"

"Yes, as I will be quite busy, I would think, getting a suitable residence and setting up the law and business offices for our family businesses. Thank you for all those letters of introduction. They should be a big help. And I am sincere when I say I wish that you and Annie would visit sometime. She doesn't like me much now, but she may find I do have some qualities to be admired. I am a true and loyal friend, and my business ethics are above reproach which is getting to be more and more rare in this country."

"As soon as Andrew is weaned, I'm hoping that Annie will accompany me on a trip to San Francisco. It's usually at this time of year that we set up some of our lumber and cattle contracts, and I would like her to travel with me."

"Well, I look forward to that, my friend. It has been good visiting with you and learning about the West. There is so much more to life out here than I ever imagined."

Climbing aboard the stage, Preston nodded. He would travel by stage to Reno and then by train to California. Adam hoped to be making the same trip relatively soon. As he had talked with Preston, he had the distinct feeling that he was being watched, but each time he looked around, he saw no one that he thought was watching. After Preston left, the feeling persisted. He continually looked behind him and saw nothing. Roy stopped him as he was getting ready to head home.

"That little ruckus sure left its mark on you."

"Roy, I should have known better. Both of them were mad and I should never have tried to step between them."

"Adam, I done the same thing many a time and wondered afterwards if I shoulda done it, but you know, you stopped the whole situation from getting out of hand, and that's what I've thought too when something like that happened to me."

"Now you didn't stop me to compare bruises, so what's going on?"

"I thought you should know that they caught that gal that Hoss was so fond of. Caught up to her in New Orleans just like you thought they might. Now the problem is that she didn't rightly break no laws. The money wasn't hers, but as long as she turned it over, they decided to let her go."

"Let her go! She almost got my family killed!"

"I know, I know that, boy, but you see, they had to go by the law. What she did was plain mean, but there was no lawbreaking involved. Now that Manning is gonna be hung day after tomorrow at the state prison. But that gal could walk down this street right now, and there would be nothing I could do. Just thought that you and your family would like to know."

"Do they know where Marsha is?"

"No, they don't, but they did say she was headed west. Now that don't mean she was coming here, but I thought you ought to be warned just in case."

"Thanks, Roy. I'll tell everyone. You keeping an eye out for her too?"

"You can bet yer bottom dollar on that one. I don't like what she done, and I'll be watching her if she shows up here."

Bidding Roy good day, Adam went to the mercantile for some supplies, and then to the jewelry shop to see if his gift for Annie was ready. By noon, he was ready to head for home. Five hours later on the Ponderosa, the family was wondering where he was. Hoss and Joe had finished work for the day and were sitting on the porch visiting with Margaret. Annie was very worried.

"Adam should be home by now. He said he would be done with a couple of errands and come back for a late lunch. It's getting close to dinner now and he's still not back."

Ben tried to reassure her but was worried too. "Annie, I'm sure he's fine. Maybe Hoss or Joe can take a ride to go meet him and let him know how worried you are."

Taking the hint, Hoss immediately stood and headed to the stable. He looked back once, and then after an 'Oh, yeah', Joe jumped up to follow him. They saddled up different horses because theirs were tired after a full day of work and headed out as soon as possible. Joe thought they were wasting their time.

"Adam probably just found some other things to do in town."

"Joe, he wouldn't go grab a beer or two like me, and he wouldn't sit in on a poker game for a few or more hands like you. Now would he? Something really important delayed him, or something's wrong."

After about a half hour of riding, they saw the carriage horse standing in a pasture. Hoss rode up and found it still in its harness. He dismounted and looked at the harness and found several spots where it had been cut nearly through. As soon as Adam had reached a point on the road that put stress on those weakened spots, one gave way and that caused a chain reaction of the rest of them giving way. It was all very clear to Hoss what had happened. "Harness has been cut. We better hurry along now. Adam could be seriously hurt." Joe nodded. Neither one of them wanted to even think of the other possibilities. They found the carriage crashed down an embankment only about ten minutes later but there was no sign of Adam. They kept searching and finally Joe spotted a black clad figure leaning up against a tree.

"What happened?" Hoss dismounted and carried his canteen with him to where Adam was sitting.

"I take it you found the carriage and the horse. I felt the harness give way and knew that I wouldn't have control much longer. With that curve and hill coming up, I decided to jump. It all might have worked out rather well except I landed on a small rock and twisted my ankle. It's not bad, but it's a bitch to try to walk on it."

Joe offered to let Adam ride Cochise. "I'll ride the carriage horse when we get back there. It's not that far."

"Thank you, Joe. I know that's a big favor." Slowly standing, Adam accepted help from Hoss to walk to Cochise and then mount up. Joe climbed on the back of Chubb with Hoss and they went slowly back to where the carriage was. "You might want to see if the supplies can be salvaged. If they're stacked here on the side, we can pick them up rather easily." Hoss walked down the hill carefully and salvaged what he could while Joe retrieved the carriage horse. They were on their way in less than a half hour.

"Is this going to knock you out of the bronc busting at the rodeo on Saturday?"

"No, I'm hoping Hop Sing will work some of his magic so I can do that. I won't be racing though. That would be too much."

"How long ago did it happen?" Joe was sliding into detective mode.

"I left town about noon. What time is it now?"

"Close to six, so about five hours ago. Well whoever cut those traces didn't follow up. Now I wonder why. Seems like someone was intent on killing you."

"The traces were cut?" Adam looked from Joe to Hoss and could tell from their expressions that they were serious. "I just thought one of the repairs didn't hold up. I had no idea it was on purpose. So someone in town must have done it while I was busy getting supplies and other stuff."

"What other stuff?"

"I saw Roy, I got the supplies Hop Sing ordered, and I checked on an order I made a week ago. I had this funny feeling while I was in town that someone was watching me, but every time I looked around, I didn't see a man who looked interested at all."

"What if it wasn't a man?"

Suddenly remembering the news he needed to relay, Adam also got a strong suspicion over who might be behind this attempt on his life. "You're right. I should have considered that it might be a woman especially because Roy told me Marsha is on the loose."

"What?" Hoss turned in the saddle so quickly, he nearly unhorsed himself and had to work to calm Chubb down. "How could she be free after what she did?"

"Apparently no matter how unethical and immoral she was, she didn't break any laws, or at least she didn't break any major laws. The authorities allowed her to give up the money and walk away from it. All they know after that is that she headed west."

"We need to alert everyone on the ranch to be on the lookout for her. She probably hates you, and she can't have very good feelings about Hoss at this point either."

"Joe, why would she hate Adam?"

"Cause he's the one who gave them the tip on how to catch her. She'd be a rich woman living the good life in New Orleans except for his information. They had no idea where to look for her except for Adam's clue. I'm guessing that someone told her they got a tip or she figured it out for herself."

Adam finished the rest of the idea. "And now she's disguised so no one will recognize her. The town is big enough now that someone new to town, especially a woman, can go about town with no one thinking twice about it."

For the next two days, Adam and Annie spent more time with Margaret than Hoss and Joe did. The two younger brothers had more work to do as Adam was laid up again. Everyone on the ranch was on the alert watching for a woman on the Ponderosa who might be Marsha. Joe rode into town early on Tuesday to let Roy know what they had surmised. With that information, Roy was going to take a more careful look at any women he passed in town. Up in the second floor of the cheapest hotel in the city, Marsha watched Roy looking around at women and realized they probably knew she was in town. Apparently the trick with the harness had not done the job at getting Adam out of the way, but there was rodeo on Saturday with all sorts of opportunities. She had plenty of time to plot.

With nothing resolved by Saturday, Annie wanted Adam to stay at home and skip the rodeo. He refused to be tied to the ranch because of a threat. Ben advised Hoss and Joe not to let Adam out of their sight at the rodeo, and he talked to Candy to alert the men that there might be an attempt to do harm to Adam at the rodeo. With those assurances, Annie reluctantly agreed to attend. She would spend most of her time sitting with Andrew, and Margaret and Michele agreed to stay with her. She knew why. They suspected that a threat against Adam could include her and her son. All three ladies were given small caliber handguns that they could put in their skirt pockets. All of them were surprised when Margaret had told them she could shoot.

"Did you forget that my father was a ship's captain too at one point? We may be wealthy but our roots are pretty basic. He taught me to shoot when I was about twelve."

Nothing happened on the way in, and when Roy saw them, he told them that he had not located anyone fitting Marsha's description at all. Joe and Adam went to the corral first to participate in the draw for horses for the bronco busting. The horses had numbers attached prominently to their halters. Numbers were drawn and the horses and riders were listed on a large chalkboard borrowed from the school. Joe rode in the race, but the betting was slow as most people assumed he would win, and he did. There were shooting contests and all of the Cartwright men participated. Joe and Adam won some of the pistol contests, and Hoss and Adam won some of the rifle contests. They brought their prizes to where the ladies were waiting and had lunch as a big group. Andrew fell asleep so Adam offered to sit with him while the ladies took a walk around the booths. Joe and Hoss had turns in the kissing booth which Margaret found highly amusing. Annie pushed her to buy a ticket for each one. Annie declined to buy any as she assured Margaret that the booth was not meant for married ladies. Then the big event of the day was called: the bronco busting. There was a lot of betting on this event because there were many men who did this so well that no one could predict a winner. People chose their favorites and bet.

After several riders, Joe was up and had a great ride sticking to the back of his horse longer than anyone had to that point. Several other riders had their turns until Adam was up. Joe got concerned as he watched the horse Adam was to ride because the horse seemed highly agitated. Adam got into the chute and out several times as the handlers tried to get the horse to settle down. Finally it seemed the horse was ready. Adam sat down and wrapped the leathers around his gloved hand before signaling to let him loose. It was clear from the first jump the horse made that he was out of his head. He twisted and turned, and made every effort to dislodge Adam who was hanging on at this point just trying to survive the ride. The men in the corral did their best to try to corner the animal to get Adam off its back before he got hurt but couldn't manage to push the horse into a secure spot. Adam felt every jolt up his spine as the horse bucked harder than any he could remember. His arm was feeling like lead as his muscles ached for relief. Twisting and turning as it continued to buck, the horse threw Adam who crashed into the corral fence putting his left arm out to protect his head and managing to twist in the air so that he hit the fence broadside instead of straight on like a missile. Luckily, the two riders in the corral had managed to slow the horse down some and the throw wasn't deadly. Hoss and Joe jumped into the corral to help pull Adam to safety as the horse continued to rear and stomp about. Annie and Doctor Martin were at Adam's side in seconds. After a quick examination, Paul told them to bring Adam to his office for he had a broken left arm and a bump on the head that needed some attention. All in all, it had been very lucky for Adam to have survived at all. With Hoss and Joe on either side, Adam walked slowly to Paul's office feeling every step as a jolt up his body.

Chapter 9

"It's jimson weed." Joe and Hoss had gone to the corral where the broncos were to try to understand why the horse had acted so crazy. They had left Annie and the rest of the family at Doctor Martin's office so Adam was well protected. Joe had walked around the corral as Hoss had looked in on the horse that was now secured in a stall inside the stable. Hoss heard Joe's yell, and when he came outside, Joe dropped some green plant material in his hand. "Hoss, somebody fed some jimson weed to that horse."

"Joe, how do you know that?"

"Hoss, the closest jimson weed to this town is miles away. That didn't get here by accident, and if you look at it carefully, you can see something sticky on it. It looks like honey to me. That's how somebody got the horse to eat it."

"Well, how would anybody know which horse Adam was going to ride?"

Pointing at the chalkboard that still had names of riders and the numbers of the horses they had drawn, Joe looked smug. He liked being a detective even if he didn't like the reason he was doing it. "Hoss, someone is seriously trying to get rid of Adam. Now who do you suppose it is?" But Joe knew as did Hoss who the likely culprit was. The hard part was going to be finding her they thought, but that turned out to be easier than expected. When they returned to Doctor Martin's office, they met most of the family leaving. Annie needed to go feed Andrew, and everyone else except Margaret was going back to the picnic area for lunch.

"Adam wants to rest, and Paul said it's the best thing for him right now. I would stay but Andrew is too fussy and would disturb Adam right now. I'll bring him back after lunch, and he can sleep next to Adam. That will be good for both of them. Margaret volunteered to sit with him until then, and said she would have lunch with the two of you when you got back. I guess we didn't expect you back so soon."

Annie continued on her walk with Michele and Ben. Hoss and Joe began to fill the others in on what they had found out stopping everyone in their tracks. Ben was the first to react. "We should probably leave more than Margaret watching over Adam then. That woman has tried twice already so we should expect she won't give up."

"Pa, why don't you and Michele stay with Annie and Andrew. Joe and me will make sure to keep Adam safe. If you see Roy, could you let him know what we found out?"

Agreeing that Hoss had a good plan, Ben and Michele escorted Annie and Andrew to a quiet spot where they could have lunch. Joe and Hoss reversed course and headed back to the doctor's office. Joe said he was going around back to make sure no one was there. What he heard as he passed by the open window where Adam was made him duck down and hurry.

"You are a tough one to get rid of. Although leaving a pretty woman as your guardian wasn't very smart."

"Why do you want to kill me, Marsha?"

"You keep getting in the way. Without you, they never would have caught me. Now I'm back to see if I can get some help from Hoss, and he wouldn't do that without talking with you about it. I'm just eliminating complications."

"What about Margaret? She's seen you and heard what you had to say."

"Collateral damage. Can't be helped in my business. Now I'm just going to wait until the next set of firecrackers get set off by some of those boys outside, so if you have any prayers to say, now would be the time."

From the office, Hoss had heard everything Marsha said but knew there were a bunch of boys just outside likely to light some firecrackers at any minute. He barged into the room to delay Marsha shooting anyone and hoped that Joe would be there soon to help. Hoss shoved the door open and then stood as if in shock seeing Marsha holding a gun on Adam. Margaret was to her side looking calmer than Hoss would have expected. "Hey, what's going on here? Marsha, what are you doing?" Knowing his presence had just messed up her plans, Hoss wondered what she would do. He waited with a forlorn expression hoping she would start talking, and she did finally but not in a ladylike way. It was mostly curses.

Thinking furiously, Marsha wasn't coming up with any more ideas. This had been a desperate plan from the start, and now that it had already failed, she wasn't certain what she should do. Slowly she regained her equilibrium just as Joe pushed through the door. He was unarmed so she wasn't too worried about him. "I guess I'll just have to eliminate the witnesses and cut my losses. There'll be other chances in other towns."

As Marsha pointed the pistol at Hoss, she suddenly felt cold steel on her neck. "I don't think that's going to work either." Margaret had drawn a small pistol and was holding the barrel of it tight to Marsha's neck.

"I could still shoot one of them. Do you want to take that chance? Just let me go and everybody lives."

"You're not going anywhere." Marsha glanced back at Joe who had drawn the pistol he had in the back waistband of his pants. Hoss had drawn the pistol that Marsha had made him drop to the floor. Marsha swung her pistol to the bed planning to use Adam as a hostage to gain her freedom, but he wasn't there any more. Defeated, she lowered her pistol and Margaret took it from her hand. Two men walked in the room then with pistols drawn.

"We'll take it from here, Maggie."

Adam stood up by the bed where he had hidden and had the same dumbstruck look that Hoss and Joe had. "What's going on here?"

Margaret gave a sardonic little grin. "I suppose I ought to explain. My name is Margaret or Maggie to my friends. I work for the government. I was sent here as soon as we realized Marsha was headed west and that we had lost track of her. Your father knew but no one else, and I would like you to continue to keep my secret if you would please. These men will take Marsha to Carson City where she will stand trial now on two counts of attempted murder, multiple assault charges, and anything else we can find to add to the list."

"Then you were just using us?"

"No, Joe, I was sent here to protect you. We just didn't think it was murder that would be on her mind. We thought she was ready to do another scam, but I called for help when I realized she was more dangerous than we had assumed. Sorry about the horse, Adam, but we didn't know what her feeding the horse would do. I guess there's still a lot about the West that I have to learn."

By that time, the two male agents had handcuffed Marsha and led her away. Hoss was looking crestfallen, but Adam was intrigued.

"I've never met someone who worked for the government and was so beautiful before."

"My looks get me close to men a lot faster than any other method. I get information usually. It was only necessity that made me break my cover this time. I couldn't let her shoot someone."

"Then everything was a cover story?"

"No, Hoss, my father does know your father, and my father was a sea captain although I don't think that the two of them knew each other then. My father sailed out of Baltimore. My father is a wealthy man and is in Sacramento right now. He knows what I do, and he supports it. There are far too many dishonest people hurting others. Hoss, is there somewhere we could go to talk?"

As Margaret and Hoss left the room, Adam lounged on the bed rubbing his upper left arm. Joe grabbed a chair and turned it around sitting on it backwards. "All right, did you have any idea about Margaret?"

"None at all. She's very good."

On the back porch of Doctor Martin's office, Margaret was trying to explain her situation to Hoss who leaned against a porch support and stared off into the distance. "I know Marsha hurt you by acting one way and being another. Hoss, I'm not like her."

"Aren't you? You just work for the right side, but you did the same thing."

"No, I needed all of you to act naturally around me. If I told you, you would have acted differently and that would have made it more difficult for me to do my job. Hoss, believe me, please, that when I was with you, I wasn't acting. I do like you, and I like being with you. That won't change now because you know what I do, will it? Please tell me that you will still want to spend time with me? You've become very important to me in a very short time, and I would like to see you again if you can stand it."

Hoss dropped his head until his chin rested on his chest. He looked so forlorn that Margaret wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she was afraid he might just bat her hand away. Hoss turned to her then, and she didn't even realize she was holding her breath waiting to hear what he would say. "So ifn I was to kiss you, you wouldn't object?"

Margaret almost cried then, but instead stepped toward Hoss. "I would be very happy to kiss you. I had to hold back before because I had a job to do, but I think I can take some time off now and just be me."

Reaching for Margaret then, Hoss pulled her into an embrace and kissed her with all the pent up passion he had. He wanted to see how she would react. He felt that was the only answer that mattered to him at the moment. When she met his passion with her own, he smiled even though he was kissing her at the time. He leaned back and looked into her eyes. "Can I call you Maggie?"

Smiling Maggie stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently. "Yes, that would be lovely."

"I think there's a picnic lunch that was promised?"

Maggie slipped her arm through Hoss' elbow and the two went in the house to collect Joe. He held a finger to his lips to indicate that Adam was sleeping and then whispered to them. "I better stay here until Annie gets back. I'll join you then at the picnic area if that's all right." Joe got a grin from each of them. He sat back down pleased with how things had turned out. Mary Ellen Martin had watched him in the race and at the bronc busting, and he had a date for the dance with her. Adam was safe. Hoss was in love. It was a good day.

Maggie extended her stay for two weeks as she and Hoss got to know one another better. Maggie usually worked where the government sent her, but she asked for a permanent assignment closer to Virginia City. They assigned her to fraud cases especially relating to government contracts so she would no longer be working undercover which was a great relief to Hoss. The two planned to spend time together when they could and see if their relationship would develop into more. Annie began weaning Andrew, and Adam made plans for the two of them to take a week to travel to San Francisco. It was the longest he could get Annie to agree to be gone from their son. The foundation work had begun on their new house, and Adam wanted to see what items he could get from San Francisco for the interior and what he would have to order. Joe started spending his weekends with Mary Ellen and Ben hoped that meant his youngest son was thinking about settling down at least a little. As long as he was seeing Mary Ellen, there weren't any late nights in town gambling and drinking so that much was a relief to the worried father. For a time, Ben could relax a bit and enjoy his life with a wife at his side, and his sons safe and at home.

Adam and Annie went outside for a walk, and Ben heard 'Je t'aime!' which he had heard a lot lately from the two of them. He didn't speak any French but he knew what those words meant just by how they were said. That night as he slid into bed with Michele, he whispered the words to her. She kissed him soundly and whispered to him. "Je t'aime!"

A Bird In The Hand

Chapter 1

Tears were slow to dry on Annie's cheeks, and were often sliding down again as she thought of leaving her son at home. Adam held her hand and rubbed his thumb across the back of it. There was little he could do to comfort her at this point. He kept getting disapproving looks from the other people in the stage no doubt wondering what this dark man had done to upset the pretty woman so much. He couldn't ask her to talk about it for it would only make it hurt more so he simply did his best to let her know that he understood. At the first way station, and the second, and then at the third, he asked her if she wanted to go back home. At the third station as they waited for dinner, the two walked outside away from the others for some privacy.

"Do you want to go back home? I can put you on the return stage tomorrow and head off to San Francisco on my own."

"No, we agreed to do this, but it's just so difficult. I never thought I could have a child, and then to have Andrew made me feel like I was as rich as a queen. I guess that's what makes me a bit overprotective of him. He may be the only child I ever have, and I would die if anything happened to him."

"Sweetheart, I know what you mean. When we married, I was already older than most men who marry and you thought you couldn't have a child. Then we were blessed with our son. But we also have us and we do a better job of being his parents if we take care of us and our relationship too. This trip is important to us, and we'll only be gone a week. He'll probably be spoiled rotten by the time we get back with his grandparents catering to his every whim."

With a slight smile then, Annie leaned into Adam as he wrapped his arms around her. He was hampered a bit by the light splint he still had on his left arm which was broken when he got a bad ride at the annual rodeo. Annie tried to relax and not worry so much, and thought what she would do was to try to concentrate on Andrew being spoiled as the problem they would face rather than all the other things that she feared. Annie had not been away from Andrew for more than four hours since he was born until recently when he had been weaned. He was eating solid food and her mild could not keep up with his appetite. Adam said he was afraid his son was going to grow up to look like Hoss. Ben said though that Adam had eaten a lot as a child but stayed slender until his twenties. Joe had picked up on that.

"So, what are you saying, Pa? You think Adam is fat now?"

"No, Joseph, what I was saying is that he filled out more as a man later."

"Yeah, Joe, when he was younger, he was a skinny little snipe like you only taller." Joe threw his boot at Hoss for that comment.

It was that bantering and those stories that Annie would miss most when they finished building their own home. The foundation was done and the frame was up. Adam planned to get a lot more done once they returned with things that he hoped to buy in San Francisco and ship home immediately. He had told her that if all went well, they would likely be in their new home before Thanksgiving. Ben had already exacted a promise that they would eat lunch or dinner with him and the rest of the family as often as they could. Adam had planned an office in his new house and hoped to start doing some architectural work. He had plans for some of the new elements that were in houses and wanted to make their house a showpiece for his work. So the trip to San Francisco was to finalize some contracts, buy things for the house, and rekindle their romantic relationship. Andrew did not fit into those plans and had stayed behind with the enthusiastic support of Ben and Michele who looked forward to a week of time with their grandson.

"I've been thinking about everything, and some things make me so happy, but leaving Andrew behind is just so hard."

"I know sweetheart. But he'll be fine, and think of how happy he will be when we get back."

"But what if he isn't? What if he just wants to spend time with his grandparents after we abandoned him?"

"Annie, we did not abandon him, and if you think a week will cause any less love between you and your son, then you are very mistaken. You two have a bond that will never be broken."

"Because I spent only a short time with Mama Inger, about the same time you have had with Andrew, and she is still in my heart and Hoss' too. He will miss you but not too much with Pa and Michele there. When you get back, he's going to throw his arms open wide and want to spend all of his time with you." That image finally lifted Annie from her low and made her smile just to think of it. "There, now when you're feeling down, just put that image in your mind."

After Annie dried her tears, the two headed inside for dinner with the driver and the other passengers. After dinner, when Adam stepped outside with the driver and the other male passenger, the two ladies pulled Annie aside for a talk.

"We've noticed how sad and worried you are. If that man is hurting you, we can get you away from him."

"That man is my husband."

"That doesn't matter. I got my daughter here away from that abusive worthless piece of trash she married. My husband is outside, and he'll help."

"No, no, Adam is wonderful. I'm just sad that we left our son. He's home with his grandparents while we take this trip, and I've never been away from him before."

"But he dresses in black like some outlaw, and he looks quite a bit older than you. We thought it strange that they let him on the stage."

"He's a fine gentleman. He just favors black. If you like, I can have him wear his white or red shirt. He looks good to me in any color."

Chuckling now, the other two ladies, mother and daughter, both agreed that he did look very handsome. "You are a lucky one, then, to have someone so handsome and strong. What does he do for a living?"

"He's a rancher. He and his family own a large ranch. He's delivering some contracts to San Francisco and will work out the last of the terms. We're also on a buying trip for things for our new house."

"Oh, you do have a busy life then with a baby, a new house, and a husband involved in a family business. No wonder you had to cry a bit. Now if you need to talk or such, you just know that we're ready to listen too. You don't have to be so quiet as you were today. Sometimes talking helps, and it sure does pass the time more quickly too letting you forget your troubles for a bit."

"Thank you for being so kind. I will do that."

With two bedrooms for travelers, the way station was nicer than most. The other family took the large bedroom, and Annie and Adam shared the second. Annie had to tease Adam about what the ladies had said. He recounted that he had gotten the start of a stern lecture from the men outside until he explained why there had been tears and sadness. The two of them chuckled over the impression they had made on the other passengers and the driver before nature took over and they began kissing. Kissing led to touching and undressing and a quiet lovemaking with the thin walls of the station and the apparently very observant others.

In the morning, the smell of coffee and bacon awoke everyone as the station manager intended. It was his job to keep the line running on time so he did what he could to motivate everyone to get moving. Within an hour, the passengers were on board and the stage pulled out on time and with good weather for traveling. By the time they got to Reno, all five of the passengers were well acquainted with each other. Adam and Annie bid the other family goodbye at the stage station and headed to the train station for the ride to California. The three family members watched them go and then walked to the telegraph office to send a message that the quarry was on his way.

Chapter 2

"Sweetheart, what would you like to do this evening?" Adam was reclining on his back against the pillows of the bed in a hotel suite in San Francisco with Annie resting with her head on his chest. He lazily combed his fingers through her hair. He loved the soft sensual feel of her hair when it was loose like this. He always asked her to let her hair down when they made love. Today she was wearing a gold and jade necklace that he had purchased for her. That was all she was wearing.

While in the city, they had found that a bath, some wine, and no work certainly had done wonders for their romance. They had made love softly and sensuously that morning as the light of dawn slipped into the room. Then after a leisurely breakfast, they had traveled to some warehouses where they had picked out pocket doors, tiles, furniture, stoves, lamps, and molds for plaster crown molding and ceiling medallions. Arriving at the hotel, they had been hot and hungry. After a bath and lunch, they had adjourned to the bed to enjoy each other's company. On the day they arrived, it had taken Adam about four hours to finalize the contracts for beef. Since then, they had made the rounds of shops and restaurants as well as two theater performances. They had this one last night in the city before traveling home.

"How about that restaurant you told me about that overlooks the city. We could have dinner there, and then take a nice long coach ride back here to see the city at night."

"I'll dress then and go make arrangements. You can rest here a bit longer but not too long because it's about an hour's ride to that restaurant."

"No, I'm fine. I'll get ready." With one last kiss, the couple slid from the bed to dress. Adam headed downstairs to talk to the concierge as Annie finished dressing and redoing her hair that was all messed up. She liked that Adam liked to run his fingers through her hair, but it certainly did make it a mess when she had to fix it up nice enough for a fine restaurant. She was putting combs into her hair when Adam returned. He had a funny look on his face so she had to ask him if anything was wrong.

Looking at Annie with the worry lines quite prominent in his forehead, Adam was clearly concerned about something. "I saw Maggie downstairs. She had a proposal to make."

"From your look, I would guess it has nothing to do with Hoss and a lot to do with something very serious."

"Yes, apparently she has been working on an investigation that was going on long before she got involved. Preston has brought the Ponderosa to the attention of some less than savory people."

"How did I know it would be Preston who would get us involved in something shady."

"No, he didn't do anything wrong, but apparently he has been bragging up the Ponderosa and the timber and bullion it holds which some here have decided apparently might be worth the effort to take it away from us. Maggie wants me to work with her on setting up a scheme to trap them into trying to do just that, and leaving paper evidence of their activities."

"Adam, I don't want you to do it. You are a husband and a father, and those responsibilities should come first."

"Annie, they do, but do you think dishonest people are going to leave us alone because I'm married and have a son. You and Andrew are at risk just because you're my family. We have often been a target of unscrupulous men who would rather take from others than work for something. Pa was kidnapped for ransom once. I was held as a hostage by the Paiute. We can't help that others see us as way to achieve their goals."

"But you don't have to get actively involved and put yourself directly in their sights."

"Sweetheart, we already are. Maggie said the 'family' we traveled with on the stage are working for the syndicate that is after the Ponderosa. They were apparently evaluating us, and looking for weaknesses."

"But they haven't done anything to us. What were they hoping to find?"

"Maggie doesn't know, but she said we can meet with some of the men in this investigation tomorrow morning before we leave if we need convincing."

"Well I am going to need a lot of convincing that you need to put yourself in jeopardy. We could head home and alert the whole family to the threat. We could protect ourselves."

"Better to know what you're facing than to have them come at us when we don't know who it is or what they will be doing."

"What about tonight?"

"A change of plans is in order. I don't want to take you to an out of the way restaurant under these circumstances especially when we don't know what's likely to happen."

"Do you really think we're in danger?"

"I don't know, but I have this gut feeling that there's plotting going on that involves us."

"Who are these people and what do they want?"

"Maggie is outside if you would like some answers."

Shooting darts at Adam, Annie walked to the door and opened it. Maggie was leaning against the wall outside their room. Annie motioned for her to come in, and Maggie looked sorry to have to do so. She could see how worried and upset Annie was by this news. Maggie felt badly that their vacation had to end on such a sour note, but she wasn't the one who had dragged them into it.

"First, let's be clear that I had no intention of involving any of your family in this investigation. However, they have taken an interest in you and your property and you can expect them to move against you soon."

Standing with her hands on her hips, Annie had one question. "Who are these people?"

"Silver, gold, timber, banking, and railroad moguls have banded together. They're buying up Senators and Representatives or threatening and blackmailing when they can't. They intend to control prices and interest rates so that they can use that to force farmers and ranchers into bankruptcy. They're developing meat packing and other food industries in California to handle the cattle and crops they will soon control. Their reach has only been across northern half of California so far especially along the rivers from Fresno up to Redding. Now they apparently have decided that western Nevada would be a good place to expand their operations. They already have gold and silver interests there as well as branch banks so adding timber and cattle operations would not be a stretch for their resources. The Ponderosa would be the heart of their acquisition, and they could use it to gobble up properties all around it."

Shocked, Annie had nothing to say. Adam asked if they would stop there.

"Not likely because they have interests in mining, banking, and ranching as far south as Arizona territory and as far east as Colorado. They intend to band together to control the whole west at this point so they can become fabulously wealthy, and there's little reason to think they can't do it."

"Why all the secrecy? Why don't you go after them directly if you know what they're doing?"

"Because it's an octopus already and has tentacles everywhere including the Army, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Treasury Department. They have ordered men killed, and would kill all three of us right now if they realized how much we know. We also don't know who the top people in the organization are. We know a number of then top people but not the ones at the top pulling the strings. Secrecy and violence are their standard mode of operation."

"So you've told us enough to ensnare us in your investigation. How does that make you any better than them? You put us in danger." Annie was very upset.

"No, you were already in danger. Your friend Preston is working with some of these people, but he is unaware of their true intentions. He has been talking about his stay at your wonderful Ponderosa, and suddenly these people decided that would be their next acquisition. We had an agent in Virginia City who was going to contact your family until he saw some of their people traveling with you. He sent messages to us, and trailed the stage all the way to Reno to make sure no harm came to you. Then he went back to Virginia City. He will coordinate operations there."

"So what do you want us to do?"

"For now, just a few things until we see how they are going to proceed. I want you to go to dinner tonight but at a nearby restaurant so we can keep you under surveillance for your own protection. You are going to be contacted by this organization tomorrow. React the way you would normally react when someone offers you a deal that is so bad, it could ruin you. Then head home. We want to see what they'll do next. When you're back on the ranch, three men will apply to work for you. Hire them. No matter what names they use, they will be X, Y, and Z. That's the code."

Leaning back in his chair, Adam was thoughtful. "They're going to offer us contracts with onerous provisions, and when we refuse, they will pressure us into accepting them. Once we fail at those contracts, they will have the Ponderosa."

"Yes, that about sums up what we think will happen. But by working with us, we'll have the evidence to show that coercion was used which will invalidate the contracts and their onerous provisions. You shouldn't lose anything."

"What about the three men you want me to hire?"

"One is already in Virginia City. He's the one who alerted us that they were moving much faster than we anticipated. Originally, I was going to make a short return trip to the Ponderosa to visit. While I was there, I was going to tell all of you what was going on. But as things progressed so rapidly and you were already here, it was my job to tell you what was going on. The three men are agents who worked with me undercover. They are very good and will do their best to protect your family."

"How will we know if you're successful in this plan you have?" Annie was skeptical and wanted assurances.

"That's the easiest answer. Nothing will change. Farmers will sell their crops and make their mortgage payments to the bank. Ranchers will drive their beef to market and accept the market price. Properties will be bought and sold at reasonable prices. Banks will give loans based on collateral with interest that is affordable. Criminals will be arrested, and some top businessmen will likely retire. Life will remain as it is, and I may retire from this business altogether."

"I think Hoss would like that very much." Adam smiled one of those little crooked smiles.

"After all this, he may not be all that interested in me any more."

"My big brother will understand. He's very intelligent. Now I suppose we ought to go if we're going to have dinner at a reasonable hour. We'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, I'll walk out with you, and we'll be laughing and talking. Be sure to remind me that I promised to visit the Ponderosa again, and I'll make some vague promise to do that soon. Then one of you can remind me that we are having breakfast together before you leave. Whoever they have watching you will likely have to stay with you and will hopefully not make anything out of this conversation. Coincidences do happen."

Dinner was delicious but Adam and Annie could have been eating plain bread for all the effect it had on them. Their minds were elsewhere even if they did hold hands and acted normally. Their minds were in turmoil, and Annie's gut feeling was that they shouldn't be cooperating in this investigation, but could give no concrete reason why she felt that way. They went back to the hotel but neither slept well.

Chapter 3

Sitting in the bed in the morning, Annie and Adam were discussing the things they had learned from Maggie the night before. "Adam, will you at least consider the possibility of just going home?"

"Yes, if you can tell me how that helps." Adam had been thinking of little else since the night before. He realized that his wife and son were likely in some danger as were the other members of his family. Yet he could come up with no reason not to cooperate with Maggie in her plan. This syndicate had set its sights on the Ponderosa and going home and waiting for them to strike was not a very good alternative as far as he could determine. There was a knock on the door, and Adam grabbed his pistol and stood to the side of the door before asking whom it was. Maggie answered and said she had someone with her. Adam told Annie to get down behind the bed, and he opened the door and pushed it away so that the two could enter, but he had both covered. The man followed Maggie into the room and watched Annie stand up from behind the bed with a small pistol in her hand as well.

"You're alert and prepared. Maggie described you well. You're going to need all of that now that some amoral powerful people have locked you in their sights."

Holstering his pistol, Adam looked at Maggie. "And who the hell is this?"

"He's the man you're going to meet at breakfast in about an hour. He's the one who's going to make you the offer that you will want to reject, but he will threaten you with dire acts so that you will at least take the offer to your father."

"Then why is he meeting with me and Annie now?"

"Because I wanted you to hear his story. When you do, you will have a clearer idea of what you face now."

The man did not identify himself as he sat in a chair and gestured for Adam and Annie to sit too. Annie stood defensively with her arms crossed. The man began telling his tale. "I never went against this syndicate. I was married with a child on the way and thinking my life couldn't be better. I came home from work one day to find my house on fire. My wife was dead inside with just her feet sticking out the front door. I ran to her and pulled her out, and I wish I never had. The look that was frozen on her face of terror and agony will forever haunt me. Her father crossed this syndicate by going to the authorities over what they had asked him to do. He was a judge. They killed him and his wife that same day that they murdered my wife, Analisa, and the baby she was carrying. They all died because the syndicate wanted to make an example out of him. Anyone who opposes them will face those kinds of consequences."

"They didn't do anything to you?"

"No, I wasn't part of the family in their minds, I guess. So I went to the authorities and asked what I could do to find these murderers and bring them to justice. I have worked undercover ever since. I am part of the syndicate. I have broken almost all of the Ten Commandments, taken men's wives to bed to get information, married a woman and deserted her, and served some time in jail for crimes I've committed on their behalf. I did all of that to get on the inside to get information and evidence against the men who did this. We're almost there. With a little more time, we hope to uncover the heads of these snakes. Even if we don't, we will cripple the syndicate by arresting those we have. After all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. We'll get as many as we can although I still hope we can get them all."

"You think my wife and my son are at risk, don't you?"

"I have reason to believe that's true. I wanted to warn you and tell you enough to know how serious the warning is. I will make an offer to you for timber and cattle. No matter how awful you think it is, you must agree to take it to your father. If you don't, they will want to do something to ensure that you do. If you want to get your wife home safely, please do as I ask. They have already set their plan into motion, and I can't stop it. They want the Ponderosa and will do anything to achieve that goal. All I can do is try to make sure you and your family stay safe."

"I'd say thank you, but it doesn't seem appropriate under the circumstances. Annie doesn't want to cooperate. What do you think will happen if we left now and headed home?"

"My best guess is that your wife would be threatened if not kidnapped. They have perfected kidnapping to a fine art. A number of times people who couldn't be blackmailed were coerced into cooperation by the threat or the actual act of kidnapping of a family member. They more often kidnap children than adults." That brought a gasp from Annie. "Children make very poor witnesses if they can identify the kidnappers at all. Adults who are kidnapped are not likely to be returned. I'm not sure if they kill them deliberately or if the grueling ordeal is too much for them, but most are found dead. By then, the people they coerced have committed illegal acts and are in thrall to them."

Annie dropped into a chair and buried her face in her hands. Adam moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Adam, it's a nightmare, but I can't just wake up and make it go away."

"We'll do this together, and we'll have the rest of the family to help too. Let's get this first step over so we can go home. Then we'll have to tell everyone what's going on so we can be prepared."

Realizing it was time to let Adam and Annie talk it through, Maggie and the undercover man left. Adam sat silently by Annie's side until she was ready to talk. There wasn't much left to say. They dressed and packed before going down to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. As they were sitting over coffee, the man who had been in their room showed up dressed as a businessman and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you?"

"It might help if I knew who the hell you were."

"Oh, Mr. Cartwright, there's no need to be rude. I'm here on behalf of some businessmen like yourself, and I have a few offers here to do business with the Ponderosa." Pulling a sheaf of papers from an envelope, the man handed over the offers. Adam read them and got red in the face as he did so. He shoved the papers back into the man's hands.

"Those are jokes. We would lose so much money on those, we could just hand over our bank accounts with less trouble."

"You don't understand, Mr. Cartwright. You will take these offers to your father, and they will be accepted. If you don't, who can say what will happen to your beautiful wife or perhaps your son or your brothers. Perhaps even your father will meet with an 'accident' if you choose not to cooperate."

Standing so suddenly he overturned his chair, Adam grabbed the man by his collar. "Don't you dare threaten my family."

The maitre'de rushed over to try to end the altercation. Adam waved him off and released the man. "You can leave now."

"I'm sorry, but you do not seem to understand. I will not leave unless you agree to take these papers back home. Perhaps you would like to travel there soon to visit with little Andrew? Perhaps to have a conversation with Michele or Hop Sing? You see we know all about your family and they are being watched. If you do not cooperate, there will be consequences. Do not go to the authorities or there will be a penalty to pay." Said with deadly quiet tones, Adam knew how serious the threat was. He begrudgingly accepted the papers. Anyone watching would not have had a clue that they had all acted their parts as planned. It looked real. In many ways, it was real, and now Adam and Annie had the onerous task of going home to tell the family the mess in which they were now ensnared.

After picking up the papers and shoving them into his pocket, Adam escorted Annie to their room where they collected their luggage. After traveling to the train station, they traveled home in the reverse order of how they had arrived. Once they reached Virginia City, they saw the Ponderosa carriage waiting for them. Adam carried the luggage there, and Annie found a note on the seat. Hoss would be back for them if they needed assistance, or they could simply take the carriage and drive out to the ranch. Adam made arrangements for the items they had purchased in San Francisco to be delivered to the ranch, and then the two drove home. It was a quiet journey. They hadn't talked much in the three days of travel for they were almost numb with worry. Once they were home, they could start making plans, but until then, they felt vulnerable and worried about the safety of Andrew and the rest of the family. Ben and Michele came outside to greet them and were surprised they didn't look happy at all. Adam had a dark look and his mouth was set in a grim line.

"Adam, what's wrong? Here we expected you two to be all excited and you look like you're going to the gallows."

After jumping down from the carriage, Adam helped Annie down. She had only one question. "Where's Andrew?" Then she rushed into the house to see him even though he was sleeping in his room. Ben and Michele looked to Adam for some answers.

"There's a lot we have to tell you. I would feel a lot safer talking about it in the house."

With those ominous words, Adam grabbed their luggage and headed inside with a puzzled and worried Ben following behind with Michele. Once inside, Adam handed the offers he had received to this father. Ben looked at them and then looked up at Adam.

"These are a joke, aren't they? These offers are ridiculous."

"That's the heart of the problem. They're real offers and we're going to have to accept them."

Ready to explode in anger, Ben calmed with Michele's touch on his arm and a simple suggestion. "Why don't we sit down and let Adam explain." So for the next hour, Adam explained everything that he had learned as Ben and Michele listened and were appalled.

"Son, there must be another way to take care of this."

"Pa, I've been thinking about this for the last three days. I can't think of anything else to do. Unless you can come up with something, we're stuck following Maggie's plan. We'll tell Joe and Hoss later to see what they think, but I think we're stuck with no other way out." Adam said nothing about the dangerous undercover man they had met and that they were going to be hiring three hands who would be working undercover. He thought he had seen someone lurking near the window in back. He was suspicious that the syndicate might have someone working on the ranch because of all the information they already had. The shadowy figure in the shadow of the tree in back confirmed to him that was probably true. He planned to speak out of earshot with his father and brothers about that. They couldn't let someone like that stay too close, but would have to tolerate his presence for the time being.

The mood in the house was very somber that night. Annie and Andrew were inseparable, and Adam spent as much time by their side as he could. In the bunkhouse, one man, Jim Dolan, was laying back in his bunk with a smile. The plan seemed to be working out just fine so far. His bosses were going to be very happy to learn that Adam had given the contracts to his father and urged him to accept them. Dolan had learned how much could be heard from the house by walking around the perimeter and leaning up against a tree in the back which was near an open window. He was surprised that the government investigator had encouraged them to participate, but then he thought that perhaps she just wanted to keep them safe, and this was the way to do that.

Chapter 4

On Tuesday, Ben signed the contracts, put them in an envelope, and asked Joe to take them to town to mail. Ben was appalled that he had to do it, but like Adam, he could think of no other way out of this attempt to take the Ponderosa away from them. They had enough witnesses that they had been coerced into agreeing to the contract terms and had to hope that would be enough. On the way to town, Joe met three riders. Based on the information from Adam, he knew that these had to be the undercover agents but gave nothing away because someone could be watching.

"We're not hiring on at the moment as far as I know, but you could go ahead and ask my Pa if you have the time to waste. Just keep riding down this road, and you'll come to the ranch. Pa was sitting on the porch when I left. Tall, gray haired man. He's the one you need to ask." Joe tipped his hat and continued on his errand. Unlike the others, he rather enjoyed this cloak and dagger stuff. Life was a lot more exciting to him with the mystery as long as he had the whole family there together to face the challenge. Hoss had been so angry at breakfast over the threats to his family that Ben had suggested he might want to tackle some wood chopping or forge work to pound out some of that energy. Adam had stood next to Hoss after breakfast with neither of them saying anything. Joe had walked up and put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"We'll do this. There isn't anyone out there who can hurt us when we stand together."

Adam had smiled a little smile and nodded although his fears were not so easily allayed, but he did appreciate the support of his youngest brother and his efforts to buoy their spirits.

Hoss was more direct. "Joe, it's just so hard when you don't know who the enemy is, and when they might come at ya. It's like when we're out hunting. If ya run across signs of a wolf pack, it isn't as scary as the tracks of just one lone cougar cause you know that pack will come at ya direct, but that cougar will lay in wait on a tree branch, in some brush, or up on some boulders jumping ya when ya least expect it. That's what this feels like. I'm worried about what's gonna happen next. I just think that they know more than we know, and that's a big problem."

"Hoss, we just have to be alert and ready for them. As long as Pa signed these contracts, there shouldn't be any trouble right away."

Leaning over Ben's desk, Adam spoke softly. The window over the desk was closed. "What about Dolan? Now that I described who I thought I saw outside, Hoss and Candy have confirmed that the description only fits him. He's a new hire so it all makes sense, but I don't like him being so close."

"Adam, I know how you feel. I've alerted Hop Sing to watch for him sneaking around the back. Candy is watching him too. For now, son, I think we have to tolerate him. I wish the men who were going to be here to help would arrive soon. Maybe one of them can give us some advice."

So as Joe rode to town with the contract offers signed and ready to be mailed, he knew his father would welcome the three men. All he had to come up with was a plausible reason to hire them when they weren't hiring. But Joe knew that sometimes his father would hire some men for a week or two to do some task simply because he couldn't bear to turn them away without a stake. He figured there would be three more men in the bunkhouse by that evening. As the three men entered the yard of the Ponderosa, Ben stood to greet them. He thought he probably knew why they were there but waited for the whispered code word. When they stated their business and dismounted, Ben walked up closely to them to explain they were not hiring. One whispered very quietly the x, y, and z code. Adam walked out at that point and asked what the three men wanted.

"Adam, they would like some work, but I told them we're not hiring."

"Maybe the ranch isn't, but I am." Dolan perked up at those unexpected words. He was listening from his position near the corral where he was supposedly fixing loose rails and was relieved with the next words though for it made sense. "I'm building a house and I need some men to do some heavy lifting and carrying as well as putting on the roof and the side walls. Are you familiar with a hammer, nails, and saws? In other words, do you have any carpentry experience?"

"Not too much, but we did help a rancher build a bunkhouse once, and of course we've had to do repairs on stables and such at ranches where we've worked."

"Good enough for me, Pa. They can do the rough work as well as anyone else I can hire." Looking directly at the men, Adam introduced himself and asked their names. When the introductions were done, he asked them to walk with him to the building site. Once out of earshot of the house, he explained about Dolan and asked what they should do.

"Dolan is a wanted man in California. If Maggie gets here, she would recognize him right off and arrest him. Then you could get him over to Carson City for extradition to California. They probably sent him because things are too hot for him in California right now. He got in trouble in Fresno killing some people. The syndicate doesn't have enough clout there yet and he's low on the totem pole so he's expendable. They sent him here to watch you, and they won't mind that much if he gets caught."

"Don't they need to have someone watching us?"

"They do. They'll be sending someone else, and we have a pretty good idea who it will be. It will be someone you know who's let them get their tentacles around him. He'll probably have mixed feelings about what he's doing. We'll see how it works out. Meanwhile, Maggie is on her way. You should be receiving a wire soon. I hope she's still welcome here?"

"She is. She isn't responsible for this mess, and hopefully she can help get us clear of it."

"I'm glad you think that way. Maggie means the world to us, and we would hate to see her get hurt. Now I suppose you ought to get us set so we can work tomorrow. We'll be bringing more firepower as soon as we can. This building location ought to be good to store it as soon as we can raise a few walls and get that roof on."

"We're going to need more firepower?"

"In a few weeks, when those contracts are due, you know you're going to court to challenge them. Maggie and a few others will be there to testify that you were coerced into accepting them. Throwing down that gauntlet will cause a major reaction. We don't know what it will be, but it will be something big. They cannot let anyone challenge them successfully or their whole scheme falls apart as others will challenge until they lose all the control they've built up. So yes, we may need more firepower. We don't know what they'll do."

"Should we send the women and my son away so they'll be safe?"

"If we knew of someplace where we could be sure they would be safe, yes, but unfortunately we don't know just how far their tentacles have already extended. For now, we need to work here where we know all of you can be protected. We have about three weeks to think of ways to protect you and your family. Any suggestions you have, we'll listen. Anything you can do to protect yourself is a good idea too."

"Well, first, getting Dolan out of here is a must. I'm not comfortable with one of them right in our midst. Let's go back and I'll show you where to bunk in and where you can put up your horses."

The three men walked with Adam asking questions about the house he was building and about the ranch so that when they walked past Dolan, it seemed like any three hands talking with the boss. Dolan relaxed. He was facing the rope in California so he needed to keep this job of informant and watchdog. He knew the syndicate would not accept another failure from him.

About lunchtime, Joe returned and he had news. He handed his father the telegram he had picked up in town. Ben read it and handed it to Hoss who smiled but looked worried too. Maggie had asked if she would be welcome to visit again. Adam had already informed Ben and Hoss that she would be back. Hoss had some mixed feelings that he had to sort through before he saw Maggie again. He loved her, but he didn't like her working in such a dangerous occupation. He had thought that once she was no longer undercover that she would be in a safer position but had found that was not true. He asked if he could be the one to meet Maggie in town. Ben smiled and agreed, but Adam saw the troubled eyes and asked Hoss later if he wanted to talk. The two brothers walked outside quietly and ambled over to the corral. Leaning against the fence, Adam said nothing letting Hoss think through what he wanted to say.

"Adam, I love her, but I can't stand what she does to make a living. I can't see a future for us with her doing that." Adam nodded and said nothing. "Well, ain't ya going to say nothing? Even one of your smart mouth comments?"

"Hoss, there's only one answer as far as I can determine." Looking hopeful, Hoss waited. "You'll have to marry her and get her to live here."

Shocked beyond measure, Hoss only stared for a moment. "It's like you can read my mind. It's kinda spooky. I was thinking just that, but I didn't know if it made sense to do it with a gal like Maggie."

"Why? Are you thinking she's too beautiful to live on a ranch or are you thinking she's too beautiful to marry you?"

"Mebbe both, at least a little."

"Maggie is a very intelligent woman and saw the true worth of you as a man right away, well as soon as you stopped trying so hard to impress her. She's happy when she's with you. That counts for a lot."

"So you think I should ask her?"

"That's your decision, but I would support you completely if you decided to go that way and help you in any way I could."

"Thanks, Adam. You're a really good older brother and an even better friend."

It would be two more days before Maggie was due to arrive. Other guests showed up unexpectedly. The next morning as they sipped their coffee, all of the Cartwrights were discussing what had happened. The sound of a carriage arriving was a surprise, and everyone walked to the door wondering what was going on. Annie and Michele didn't know who it was, but Adam groaned a little so they knew he wasn't happy to see the new arrivals. Ben walked out first to greet the group and a little girl jumped from the carriage and ran to throw her arms around Adam's legs.

"Good morning, nephew. And to what do we owe this surprise visit?"

"Uncle, I'm in trouble and I need your help." With that, Will tied off the reins and climbed down before helping Laura and Aunt Lil from the carriage. Ben smiled and escorted them into the house.

Looking at Adam's pained look, Annie had to ask. "So now we have the woman who cheated on you with your cousin, and your cousin too?" Adam nodded but Peggy was upset.

"My Mama does not cheat. Who are you anyway?"

Everyone inside heard Peggy's comment and knew this was not going to be a pleasant situation. Ben asked everyone to please be seated and asked Will to explain what had happened.

Chapter 5

For the next hour, Will had center stage though. "I was doing well in business until those typhoons last year sank one of the ships in which I had invested heavily. That led me to mortgage my shipping business to the hilt hoping that the profits on the other cargoes would make me solvent again, but the bank called my loan before the ships got back to port. It was all a giant set-up to get my business and me. They had me do just a few favors for them at first, and then they had me ship in some cargo that turned out to be stolen. I was going to be arrested, and I would have had no defense because all the pertinent documents were signed by me. It was another great set-up. They interceded on my behalf, and I was cleared. What I didn't know was that they used blackmail and coercion to get that done for me. I am complicit now in all sorts of crimes. I was still going to stand up to them except they threatened my family. I said I couldn't do what they asked, and then they said they had another job for me. I was to travel here to keep an eye on you and your family and report back to them. Uncle, they already have someone else here reporting back to them. They know you are working with a government investigator, and that doesn't seem to bother them at all."

"Will, what do you plan to do next?" Ben needed to know where they all stood.

"I'm not sure. Aunt Lil still has property in San Francisco, but I didn't want to leave her there because of what they might do to her when they find out I'm not following their orders. Somehow I need to find a place where Laura and Peggy and my son can be safe too. I agreed to come here because we're family, and we're all in this mess now."

"Will, tomorrow that government investigator gets here. We're hoping that she can help us deal with some of this."

"She? The investigator is a woman?" Laura was more shocked than Will. She had been used to being the only woman in a gathering of Cartwrights, and now there were two more with Michele and Annie with a third was on the way.

"Yes, her name is Margaret or Maggie, and we are very fond of her. In fact, one of us is very fond of her." Hoss blushed a little so that everyone who didn't know now knew who was sweet on Maggie. "She has been a great help to this family, and is coming here to help us again. It's going to be a bit crowded here with everyone, but we'll find a way to make everyone fit. Lil can have the downstairs room, but she'll have to share with Peggy. Will, you and Laura can have the guest room upstairs that used to be Adam's room and your son will have to stay there with you."

"I thought perhaps our son could share a room with Adam's son?" Laura was hoping to have a more agreeable stay without their son in the same room.

"No, that small room will have to be for Maggie. Andrew will move in with his parents when Maggie arrives. As I said, it is going to be a bit crowded with everyone here but we have room."

Besides being crowded, the tension in the house was palpable. Adam was not comfortable with Laura and Will being there. In addition, Peggy tried to reinstate her old relationship with Adam who felt that it was inappropriate for Peggy to treat him as her father when she now had a stepfather who should fill that role. Annie couldn't help a few hostile comments directed toward Laura, and Aunt Lil was trying to figure out a way to manipulate the situation to her niece's benefit. All of that added to the stress created by the situation that the syndicate's threats and actions had already caused. Hoss was relieved to escape to go pick up Maggie in town, and Joe rode with him because Ben said no one in the family should travel alone under the circumstances.

As Hoss rode to town, his mood lightened just at the thought of seeing Maggie regardless of the circumstances. Joe and he chatted about how uncomfortable the atmosphere in the house had become and how Maggie might help with that. Soon Joe was teasing Hoss about Maggie and asking him what his plans were in regard to Maggie.

"How come you're so sure I got plans with Maggie?"

"Hoss, every time someone mentions her name, you sit up straight, and if they say anything about you liking her, you blush. I know you must be thinking about something that could make you blush so spill it. What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure exactly but I got some ideas."

"You're going to ask her to marry you, aren't you?"

"Now, Joe, how did you get that from what I said?"

"It's not just what you said. I saw you when you came back inside after you and Adam had that talk. You looked so sure of yourself then that I thought you probably had made that decision. What you said right then made me think that again."

"You and Adam gotta stop reading my mind. It's doggone spooky."

"All right, but no hints or nothing. I want to ask her in my own time and my own way. So you better be just like Adam and keep it all to yourself or I'm gonna pound you into a fence hole and string barbed wire round you and leave ya there till next spring."

Adopting a more serious mien, Joe pulled his horse to a halt which cause Hoss to stop the carriage too. "Hoss, I am really happy for you. I would never do anything to jeopardize that. You know you can always ask for my help if you need it, don't you?"

"Yeah, guess I do. Thanks, Joe. You and Adam are a lot alike."

"Don't go telling him that and getting him mad."

"Why would it get him mad? He already knows it."

The two brothers finished the ride into town and waited for the stage. When it arrived, Hoss lost all of his resolve to remain calm and in control. He helped Maggie step down from the stage and then leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. Although surprised, Maggie did not object and smiled. Hoss leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips then. Joe leaned back on the bench where he was sitting and enjoyed the looks of townspeople who stared at what must have been the most beautiful woman they had ever seen kissing Hoss Cartwright right out in front of everyone. Joe knew the rumor mill would be busy for the rest of the day and probably the rest of the week. The ride back to the ranch was pleasant as the two brothers filled Maggie in on the recent developments and some family history so she could better understand the dynamics of all the people in the house.

When Maggie arrived, she was shocked though at the change in atmosphere in the home. When she had been there last, everything had been so relaxed. She had been informed by the undercover man in San Francisco that Will would be sent on this task but had not realized he would bring his entire family with him. Apparently the syndicate men thought he was cowed enough to do their bidding but had been very wrong in that. The other big shock for Maggie was seeing Dolan walk into the bunkhouse as she arrived.

"Do you know that you've hired a wanted man and one who works for the syndicate?"

"Yes, we know. We were hoping you would have a solution for that."

Adam was very direct and Maggie appreciated that. Sometimes people tended to try to make it appear that they had things under control when they did not. This honesty from the Cartwrights was so refreshing, but Maggie guessed that perhaps she had been spending too much time in the company of dishonest people and had lost the sense of the innate goodness of most. As things were explained to her, she was sitting on the settee with Hoss at her side. It made her feel comfortable and welcome.

"I should go arrest him right now. I have the authority to do that. Then I should take him to Carson City. This thing is too complex already to have another variable we can't control. Who wants to come with me as backup?" Hoss never said a word but stood up. Joe and Ben did as well even as Ben put a hand on Adam's.

"Stay with your family. We have enough to do this."

Nodding in response, Adam looked at Will who got the same but unspoken message from Ben. The two men had more lives to think about than just their own. Dolan had seen Maggie arrive and they found him hurriedly saddling his horse. He had taken the time to pack his meager possessions and that was all the time needed for him to be apprehended. Hoss led him back to the bunkhouse where he had the men tie his hands and feet and then lay him on his old bunk.

"I'll take him to Carson City tomorrow. Who can come with me?"

Again it was understood that Hoss would go. Joe volunteered but Ben nullified that. "Hoss and Maggie should have a chaperone. I'll go." That ended that discussion. Hoss shook his head though for apparently his father had drawn the same conclusion as Adam and Joe. He decided he better ask Maggie soon before everyone knew except her.

Dinner was served in shifts because not everyone could sit at the table at once, and Hop Sing would have trouble having food ready for twelve people at once for every meal. Adam and Will ate with their families first so that the children could go to bed early enough. With Annie busy feeding Andrew, there was less tension between her and Laura.

Ben sat with his sons and Maggie for the second serving and discussed their next steps. Maggie explained that they would leave Dolan in custody in Carson City and perhaps his dire circumstances might get him to talk. If the authorities didn't hang him, the syndicate would kill him assuming that he had turned on them. Knowing that, he might talk in order to get a lesser sentence. Even though giving a murderer a twenty-year sentence instead of an execution was odious, it could also mean that many less people would die or be ruined so the trade-off was likely to occur if Dolan was agreeable.

"Mr. Cartwright, the next step is to file a petition with the court to have those contracts invalidated due to coercive methods. That will alert the syndicate that we are ready to stand against them, but it also means that the heads of the snakes may have to show themselves by meeting together to decide what to do about your challenge. If that happens, arrests will be made, charges filed, and this whole thing can be left to the courts to finish."

"That's a very big what-if. What do we do if there is no meeting?"

"Then we still plan to move ahead with arrests. It will be disappointing to get the lower level operatives and not those who put this plan into motion, but we have too many people undercover now and at risk as well as your family and others. It's time to end this, and if we have to take just the bird in hand instead of the two in the bush, then that's what we'll do."

"That seems to me to be the more likely scenario."

"The way things have been going, Mr. Cartwright, it does to me too."

After dinner, Hoss asked Maggie to walk outside with him as the Adam and Joe grinned at Hoss causing him to shake his head. Annie slapped Adam on the arm to stop him, but Joe had no one to make him behave until Ben gave him a light slap on the back of the head.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"Just a reminder to mind your manners. Now find something to do and no spying on your brother."

Outside Hoss was unaware of Ben's admonition to Joe but would have been grateful if he had known. He walked with Maggie and took her hand. She gripped his in return.

"Maggie, I know this ain't the best time to bring this up, but there's something I just gotta say to you. I don't like the job you do and the danger you're in. Now I know you might not like hearing me say this, but I worry about you. I don't want nothing bad to happen to you."

Quietly and hoping she knew the answer, Maggie had only one question. "Why do you feel that way, Hoss?"

"Dadburnit, Maggie, cause I love you. There now I done said it so you know what kind of crazy fool I am, but I can't help how I feel."

Without saying a word, Maggie answered him. She pressed one hand softly to his cheek and wrapped the other around his neck pulling against him. Hoss didn't need much convincing. He leaned down to kiss her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly to him. The kiss deepened and lasted. When they finished, both were nearly breathless.

"Wow, now that is not what I expected, but dadburnit, you just made me the happiest man in these parts. I just never believed until this moment that somebody as beautiful as you could ever care for a man like me."

"Hoss, you intrigued me from the first time we met. Once you started acting like yourself instead of like a moon bear, then I found I liked everything about you. You make me feel like a woman and not an object. I like being with you. I like doing things with you."

"Maggie, when this is all over, would you like to do things with me all the time? I mean, would you like to live here?"

"Hoss, what are you asking?"

"Dadburnit, I wish I was smooth like Adam, but what I want to ask is will you marry me?" That question was answered with a kiss too, and then a whoop from an upstairs bedroom. "I'm gonna kill him. That little whippersnapper is gonna get it."

"Hoss, won't it be easier walking inside if everyone already knows?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

"So for now, you don't have to do anything to Little Joe, but it would be fun if you acted like you were going to. I wouldn't mind seeing him run." With a wicked glint in her eye, Maggie smiled at Hoss who suddenly knew how well she was going to fit into his family.

Chapter 6

When Hoss and Maggie entered the house, everyone was trying to hold back grins but a few were not very successful. Adam looked over the top of the book he was holding to greet Hoss and Maggie.

"So, how was your walk? Pretty nice out there tonight, isn't it? With all that moonlight, one could almost be expected to wax poetic."

"Dadburnit, I know you all know. I was thinking we could all have some champagne or wine or something to celebrate once I get done throwing Joe into the horse trough." Hoss turned to Maggie who was looking as upset as Hoss was because Joe had preempted their announcement. Hoss began to excuse himself so Joe used that moment to race toward the kitchen and safety outside. Hoss yelled after him that he was coming to get him but never moved from Maggie's side. Maggie grinned at Hoss.

"That was fun. Is he always that easy?"

The first to understand, Adam was the first to congratulate Hoss and give Maggie a bow. "Bravo, my lady, you are going to fit into the family quite well. I shall look forward to your next performance."

Soon there were congratulations all around and a lot of laughter at the prank they had played on Joe. Joe opened the front door at one point to see if it was safe to come back in and Hoss made to chase him. Joe ran once more. He was outside another half hour before he tried it again. By then, Hoss and Maggie were seated on the settee in front of the fireplace in quiet conversation with everyone. Joe ventured in nervously and said he was going up to bed. Everyone wished him goodnight, and he went up the stairs relaxing now that Hoss wasn't chasing him and everyone was smiling. It would be weeks before anyone told him he'd been the victim of a prank.

Laura was on edge. She wasn't happy with Will and the trouble he had brought to her and their children as well as Aunt Lil, but she could hardly chastise him in front of Ben and the others without making herself seem like a shrill wife. So instead she baited Annie.

"Well, now that you and Adam have one son, Annie, when are you two planning to have more. I can't imagine Adam being satisfied with just one son. He always wanted the best of everything. I would think he would want to have more before you get too much older."

Will and Laura did not know how sensitive a subject that was. Adam did and suggested that it was time to head up to their bedroom. Annie went peacefully but Adam could see how upset she was. When they got to their room, he pulled her into a strong embrace. They had to whisper because Andrew was asleep in their room.

"I wanted to claw her eyes out. I could have easily smashed her in the mouth."

"Thank you for showing restraint. We have enough trouble around here already."

"What did you ever see in that woman? She is shrill, tiresome, boring, irritating, and generally so self-centered as to be useless."

"Well, what do you really think?" Adam tried to lighten the mood with humor but failed. So he tried sincerity and love. "But you're the one I married. You're the one I need. You're sweet, fascinating, capable, smart, and all those things I needed in a woman and didn't know until I found you. Or rather, you found me and saved my life. I love you, Annie, and never forget that. I love you more than life itself."

"Oh, don't say that. That's too extreme."

"But I mean it. I can't see how I could live without you."

"But you would have to because we have Andrew. We live in our son no matter what."

While they were talking, Adam had been unbuttoning the shirtfront dress Annie was wearing. The more he unbuttoned, the less angry she was and the more amorous. Soon she was unbuttoning Adam's shirt and they forgot all about Laura and her biting comments and reveled in giving and receiving pleasure. Adam kissed his way down her neck and along her shoulder as his hands held her and caressed her. Annie leaned into him allowing him to touch her as much as he wanted for she loved how those strong hands could be so gentle. They had a very invigorating time together although they had to be quieter than usual so they wouldn't wake their son and bring a sudden halt to the lovemaking.

In the morning when Adam walked downstairs with Andrew on his hip and with his arm around Annie's shoulders as her arm was wrapped around his waist, everyone else was already downstairs. Ben and his sons smiled to see the family so relaxed, but Laura had a sour look. She had never had Will walk her down the stairs like that. Of course if he had tried, she would likely have pulled away thinking he would demand more of her. When she saw Adam and Annie stop at the bottom of the stairs to kiss their son, she was even more dour.

Adam volunteered that he and Annie with Andrew would eat breakfast by the fireplace so that everyone else could sit at the table. Adam sat in the blue chair and Andrew stood between his legs with a hand on each knee. Adam leaned forward and alternately fed himself and his son. Annie sat with a plate of food watching her son and husband with undisguised love and pride. Soon almost everyone at the dining table was watching the scene by the fireplace and smiling. Hoss leaned over to his father.

"Dang it, Pa, those two should really have more children who would be so lucky to have those two as parents."

"I know, Hoss, but Andrew was quite a miracle. It's probably too much to expect that there will be any more."

Picking up on that conversation, Laura had her first ammunition to use against Annie and realized why Adam had suddenly decided that it was time for bed the previous evening. Her intent to needle Adam had struck at Annie instead. Well as far as Laura was concerned, that was fair. She was an unhappy woman, and found it very difficult to see others happy. She had to live with Will and Peggy who seemed happy most of the time, and loved Johnny. Even Johnny's happy disposition was sometimes irritating to his mother. Even her Aunt Lil seemed happier than she was and often counseled Laura to be appreciative of what she had instead of still desiring what she didn't have. But Laura was determined to be unhappy and dissatisfied with her life. She would wait for her opportunity to make sure others felt that too. This latest mess in her life she blamed on all of the Cartwrights, and she thought that they deserved to have to pay for what they had done.

After breakfast, Hoss got four horses ready for the trek to Carson City. Hop Sing packed food for them, and Ben and Maggie got Dolan from the bunkhouse. Maggie had handcuffs with her so the ropes were removed and Dolan was cuffed with a rope running from the cuffs to the saddle horn. Hoss would lead his horse so he couldn't bolt on them. They planned to be gone until the next day.

"Adam, remember to file that petition with the judge. And don't travel alone. We don't need them taking a hostage, and Maggie thinks they may try to do that before this is all finished."

"Pa, I know, and we'll make sure to keep guards on the perimeter especially at night. The three new men we hired are good at that."

The last statement made Dolan sneer. He had heard them refer to Maggie the night before, and that familiarity let him know they were undercover agents, but he also knew one of them better than the others. He didn't know if it would do him any good, but he was getting desperate. Once Dolan was delivered to the authorities in Carson City, investigators went in to lay out his options for him. As expected, he turned on the syndicate. The deal was that he would serve his time in a state prison outside of California and Nevada, and he began spilling names. Maggie sat in on the questioning hoping to find more clues to follow in the effort the syndicate was making to acquire the Ponderosa. The next morning, as Dolan began to tell even more secrets in exchange for an even lighter sentence, she was shocked to find that one of the men Adam had been told to hire was a double agent. He was working for the syndicate. Once she heard that, she rushed from the jail to send some wires and then to contact Hoss and Ben for they needed to get back as soon as possible.

That same morning, Adam was in town filing a petition with the judge to invalidate the onerous contracts due to coercion used to get them to sign. The judge seemed agreeable and offered to hold the hearing that afternoon. Adam and Joe went to get some lunch, and then headed to the courtroom at one to get what they hoped would throw those contracts out. Instead, the judge was very short with them and told them they would have to honor the contracts. He said they had signed them in good faith, and that it would be a travesty of law to set aside perfectly agreeable contracts just because someone changed their mind. Adam was incensed.

"What happened to the reasonableness of terms that you referred to this morning, and the stench of corruption surrounding such odious terms. You have completely ignored the coercion that was used. Threats to life certainly ought to be enough by itself to get you to throw these contracts out."

"Threats to life happen out here all the time, and men make their decisions and live with them all the time. Every one of us faces such choices. You made your choice, and now you have to live with it, just as I and my family have to live with this one."

As Adam was ready to say more, he halted. Something in the judge's words gave him pause. He looked at the judge and then at Joe who was staring at him wondering what he was going to say. "It's no use. He's just an ignorant circuit court judge. We need to take this to a higher court. C'mon Joe, let's go."

Following Adam from the courtroom leaving the judge and bailiff alone, Joe grabbed his arm halting him and had to ask what that was all about.

"Joe, did you see his expression and the way he kept glancing at the 'bailiff'? I've never seen that man before either. And do you recall what his last words were as he said he and his family would have to live with this one? Joe, we need to get over to see Roy. The judge and his family are in danger."

"Adam, you got all that from those couple of sentences he gave us? You sure it isn't just your suspicious mind at work?"

"Maybe, but first let's make sure the judge and his family are safe."

They headed to Roy's office and found both Roy and Clem there discussing hiring more deputies. Adam filled them in on everything that had happened with the judge that day especially his rapid reversal of opinion, and then the man acting as bailiff that neither Adam nor Joe recognized.

"Now, you boys sometimes get a mite suspicious, but I have to agree with ya on this one. Judge Henry is a reasonable man and would never talk that way to someone in his court filing a reasonable petition. As far as I know, his bailiff Darcy is in fine health and I saw him just the other day in town. Ain't no reason for another bailiff to be there."

Roy instructed Clem to find some men and deputize them to go to the Henry home and see if the family was all right while Roy went with one deputy to see about the judge. Adam and Joe offered to accompany Clem on his task. Adam had one more thought before they left.

"Roy, if they were able to act so quickly, they have more men in town than we thought. They're getting ready to take over so be real careful who you hire."

Assuring Adam that he was always careful in his hiring, Roy was determined that this time he wouldn't hire anyone he didn't know and told Clem to do the same. Clem hired a couple of out-of-work miners as he walked with Adam and Joe to the Henry house high up on the hill. Joe and Adam volunteered to swing around and come in from behind the house asking Clem to slow up a little to give them time to get into position.

Once behind the house, Adam and Joe could see into the kitchen of the house. Mrs. Henry and her daughter were tied there. There looked to be a body on the floor, and both assumed that was probably her son. It was no longer a mystery why the judge had acted as he did. What he apparently didn't know was that hostages never survived a kidnapping by the syndicate unless they were small children. Anyone else was killed to eliminate witnesses to some of their more brutal tactics. Slowly Adam and Joe worked their way down the hill into the backyard of the Henry house and then to the back wall of the house. Adam held up three fingers to Joe. Then he counted down one, two, three so the two of them would rush into the house at the same time. No one else was in the kitchen, but they heard a commotion in the front parlor. Soon they heard Clem's voice calling for any more men to come on out. Adam yelled back that there were no more that he could see. Quickly, Joe untied Mrs. Henry and her daughter, as Adam checked for signs of life from the son. He found a heartbeat and told Clem someone needed to get the doctor there quickly.

In the courthouse, Roy asked to speak with the judge and as the fake bailiff turned to lead him to the judge's chambers, Roy stuck his pistol in the man's back.

"Now jest raise your hands all careful like and my deputy here will relieve you of your sidearm."

The judge rushed out into the hallway when he heard the commotion. Seeing a deputy put handcuffs on the man who had been guarding him since the morning, Judge Henry was devastated. "They said they would kill my family if I said anything."

"Don't you worry too much there, Judge Henry, cause I sent Clem and some men to your house to see to your family. Adam and Joe Cartwright went with em."

"I felt so badly saying what I said to them, but I was hoping that one or both of them could read between the lines. Thank you, and can we go see if my family is safe?"

When Roy and Judge Henry got to the Henry house, Doctor Martin was working on the young Henry boy. He had a through and through but had lost a lot of blood lying on the floor. After a short time, Paul came out to say that barring any unforeseen complications, the boy should live but would have a long recuperation. Judge Henry told Adam and Joe to file for a new court date but before anything more could be done, the runner for the telegraph office showed up with a wire for Adam. Adam read it and told Joe the contents. They ran from the home down the hill to their horses and raced home. Roy picked up the discarded telegram and read it. He told Clem that they probably needed to get some men together to go out to the Ponderosa as soon as possible.

Chapter 7

As Adam and Joe raced into the yard at home, they saw two bodies laying off to the side of the bunkhouse. There was still blood flowing from each so they knew whatever had happened had been only minutes ago. Both drew their pistols and edged toward the house. The front door opened, and a masked man stood there with a gun to Annie's head.

"C'mon in, gentlemen. We were just about to tell everyone the terms of a new agreement." He used to head to indicate they should come with him and then backed up without releasing Annie. Once Adam and Joe were inside, they saw that Will was being tied to a chair as was Laura. Michele wasn't around nor was Hop Sing which made them worry. They were told to drop their pistols and had little choice in the matter. The masked men held the advantage. Crying silently, Peggy ran to Adam and threw her arms around his waist. Another masked man walked down the stairs holding Andrew and Johnny.

"Which one we supposed to take? They said to get Adam Cartwright's kid but there's three kids here."

"That girl is my daughter and the older boy is my son." Laura rescued her children with no regard for anyone else. Annie would have liked to really scratch her eyes out as well as punch her in the mouth then, but all she could do was gasp as the masked man set Johnny down to concentrate on Andrew. Any effort to buy time was gone now. Both Adam and Joe knew that Roy was likely on his way, but it looked like the men would be gone with Andrew before he got there.

"I'll go. I won't cause you any trouble either. Just let my son be. If he's safe, I'll do whatever you say." Adam hoped to bargain but also buy some precious minutes back now that Laura had taken the other opportunity away. The man who held Annie looked at him and thought about what he had said. He would feel better with an adult hostage too rather than taking such a small boy. He knew from being here for a few weeks that the family would be just as cooperative with Adam as a hostage as they would with the little boy.

"You know what it means, don't you?"

"Yes, I know. But my family is more important to me."

"All right, you've made your choice. Tie everybody else up, and let's get out of here."

Within minutes, Annie, Laura, Aunt Lil, and Joe were also tied. Annie was in conflict because her son had been saved but her husband was being taken. She could think of nothing she or anyone could do to stop that. Adam said 'Je t'aime' before he left the house with his hands tied behind his back and a rope leader tied around his neck. For ten minutes, the only sounds in the room were the quiet sobs of Peggy and the more boisterous crying of the two boys who didn't understand why no one was coming to take care of them, and then Roy arrived with a posse. They found Michele tied up behind the house in the garden, and Hop Sing was tied in the kitchen. Everyone else in the great room was freed. Joe wanted to rush out after the men who had taken Adam.

"Joe, I know you want to do that, but if we get too close, they'll kill him. They won't think twice about it. They know you're gonna fight em now so it'll be no holds barred." Roy was trying to think of a long-term strategy but was out of his element facing this syndicate.

Holding and soothing Andrew, Annie had a question. "What did they mean when they asked Adam if he knew what his going with them meant?"

No one wanted to answer that, but Joe had heard enough from Maggie and Adam to know. He felt he had to be honest with Annie. "They've never let a hostage live once their purpose was served. The only way Adam lives is if we find a way to rescue him. He knew that when he volunteered to go."

There was more commotion in the yard. Ben, Hoss, and Maggie had returned. They rushed in with guns drawn after having seen the bodies outside. Roy and Joe turned toward them and assured them all was well at the house. Joe had his arm around Annie trying to offer what comfort he could. Will was standing next to Laura but not touching her. The look on his face said a lot though as he was very disappointed in her. She hissed at him.

"You could at least show some compassion for me and our children after what's happened."

"I do have compassion for them but not for you. You were unbelievably selfish. If Adam dies, it's on your head." He walked over to talk with the others to see what they could do.

Aunt Lil came over to Laura and the children wrapping her arms around Peggy. "Aunt Lil, can you believe what Will just said to me?"

"It needed to be said. You put yourself and what you wanted ahead of everyone. I think that Adam and Joe knew that the sheriff was coming behind them. They would have tried to buy some time, but you took that away from them. I'm ashamed of you. Finally you show some gumption again, and once more, it's for all the wrong reasons. It's time you grew up and acted like a woman, a wife, and a mother. I have to take some blame for you being such a spoiled selfish woman, but it's time for you to step up. You are not a child any more even if you persist in acting like one."

"But I've had so much to deal with."

Annie had listened and had heard enough. "Everyone in this room has had to deal with a lot. You have been protected and helped through everything. It's about time you paid some of that back or you're not welcome here any more."

Looking at Ben, Laura was going to try to use tears once more. "Uncle Ben?"

"From what I've heard, Adam's life is at risk mainly because of you. If anything happens to him, you better be far away from here before I get back. Will and the children are welcome to stay as is your Aunt Lil, but you need to pack." Those words let everyone know that Ben knew too the grave danger his son was in. He would not be in a forgiving mood until he knew Adam was safe.

Hoss and Joe decided to track the group with Adam. "We'll try to get as close as we can without being seen. If anything happens, one of us can come back and let you know. We need to know where he is at least."

"All right, son, but don't let them see you. If they do, you know what might happen."

"I know, Pa, I know. Joe and me will be real careful. We don't want nothing to happen to Adam. You know that."

Roy said the posse would travel well behind the two brothers to be available if needed. Some of the hands joined the posse so there would be no contest if it turned into a gunfight. They liked Adam and the whole Cartwright clan. They would do what they could to help. Hoss and Roy set up some mirror signals, and then Hoss and Joe headed out. Will and Ben stayed with the rest of the family.

"Uncle, did you mean what you said about Laura?"

"I did. I wouldn't turn her away if she was in danger, but otherwise it would be best if she was never here again. She has caused enough grief for Adam. It's time to close that chapter entirely, and banning her is the only way I can see to do that."

"That, and I may kill her myself." Annie stalked out of the house with Andrew on her hip. She felt deeply helpless and profoundly scared and didn't like either feeling. Ben watched her go.

"She means it, too. She loves fiercely, and she would do anything for Adam."

"She's a good match for him. Now we have to hope that they can get him back safely."

Maggie walked up at that point and said they should talk about a strategy. Her idea was daring and could fail, but it was the best they had. She got a horse from the stable and rode out with Will as her escort. They could only hope the authorities in Carson City agreed with them. Alerting some hands to protect the house and its inhabitants, Ben rode to Virginia City to try to work the other part of Maggie's plan.

On the trail, Adam was doing what he could to slow his captors. He swayed in the saddle and when they got to a particularly steep stretch, he fell off his horse. They grumbled a lot but he reminded them that he had no way to hang on with his hands tied behind his back. Of course he could easily have leaned forward and gripped with his knees but wasn't volunteering that information. He fell off again when they led his horse too close to some brush and a branch snagged his arm pulling him from the saddle. That wasn't his fault, but they had tired of him falling so they threw him over his saddle like a sack of grain and tied him down like a pack. It was intensely uncomfortable riding that way and he lost his hat as well.

When they finally reached their destination which turned out to be one of the Ponderosa line shacks, they tied Adam in the stable after giving him a beating out of their frustration. All Adam could hope was that Hoss would be able to track them here, but he knew this line shack, and it was impossible to approach it from any direction except above without being seen a long way away. The men took turns guarding him in the stable. He asked for water and food but was given nothing. One of the men laughed when he asked.

"What do you want water and food for? You ain't going nowhere. We find it easier to take care of people when we don't feed em and don't give em water."

In a perverse way, it all made sense to Adam. Without food and water, he would get weaker fast. Without a blanket out in the stable, he would be cold and uncomfortable and unlikely to sleep decently. They also wouldn't have to worry about untying him to do his business because he wouldn't have to do anything. If he hadn't been sure of it before, he was sure now that they never meant for him to live beyond the court hearing over the contracts. Once those were upheld, the Ponderosa was theirs and there would be no need to keep him alive. He closed his eyes and pictured each member of his family at a time saying goodbye in his mind.

Almost a mile away, Joe and Hoss made a cold camp in the treeline watching the line shack up above. There wasn't much movement there but enough that they could see that it was occupied. It had to be where the group was, but they couldn't advance any closer to find out without being seen. They talked as they watched and knew the only way to approach that shack was from the ridgeline that was about one hundred feet above. It was unlikely anyone of them could make that descent.

"Joe, the only one who could probably do it is Adam after all that climbing through the hills he did with those Paiute when he was younger. We never did that kind of thing, and that's a right tall cliff to climb down."

"Hoss, that's it! That's the solution."

"What? Adam's a hostage so he can't do it."

"No, the Paiute. There's a lot of em that like Adam. He brought them cattle when the winter was so hard this year. He's done everything he can over the years to try to help out."

"Joe, we'd need em here real soon. Can you ride well enough in the dark?"

"I can backtrack and then head north. The last I heard Adam say something was that they were up on that plateau that we never use because the cattle are so hard to herd up through those cuts and then back down again. He said there was a camp up there. If I ride through the night, we could be back here by this time tomorrow or rather up there by then. We'll use mirror signs. I'll tell Roy what we're doing and see if he can find a way to buy us some time. Wish me luck."

"I'll be doing more than that. I'm figuring on praying for a good part of tonight that your idea works. Joe, if we can, we need to get some of those men alive."

"There's only one I want to be sure we get out of there alive."

Nodding in agreement, Hoss watched Joe slip away in the darkness and then he concentrated on the shack up on the hillside above the tree line. About two hours later, Hoss heard someone coming up behind him. He went on alert until he heard his name called and he called out softly in reply. Candy was by his side a short time later.

"Brought some food and water. Roy's holding the posse out of sight but close enough that they can be here fast if we need em. Figured we could take turns sleeping."

The two men settled in for a long night as Joe rode as far as he could before he and Cochise needed some rest. The posse bedded down in a cold camp waiting to be summoned. Tied to a post in the lean-to stable, Adam shivered in the frigid, damp air and slept fitfully. He was cold, tired, sore, hungry, and thirsty but still alive. If the court case was decided the next day, he knew that was his death warrant. He hoped they had found a way to delay that.

Chapter 8

Early the next morning, Judge Henry convened his court. He was all set to rule on the contracts Ben Cartwright had been forced to sign, but Ben stood up saying he wanted to withdraw his petition. Judge Henry looked pale and was sweating though. He told the bailiff to get him a glass of water. He drank it and said he was ready to rule on Ben's motion, but then suddenly began retching. The bailiff grabbed a waste basket and just in time as the judge threw up his breakfast and the glass of water he had just had. Doctor Martin was summoned and told some men that they needed to get the judge over to his office immediately. Soon there was a quarantine sign on the doctor's office. He came out and stood on his porch saying that Judge Henry had the flu, and would someone please go check on his family.

In the crowd outside the office, Ben could be heard complaining that they were going to need to get a another judge in here because he needed that motion to withdraw his petition approved as soon as possible. Most in the crowd didn't know what he was talking about, but two men left and one was soon riding out of town as the other was at the telegraph office sending a message about the latest development.

At the line shack when the man from town got there, there was consternation. The men walked back to the stable where Adam was tied.

"What kind of game are you people playing?" One of the men kicked Adam in the leg to get his attention.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." In this situation, Adam actually could tell the truth.

"The judge was supposed to rule in our favor this morning, but suddenly he's sick. Your old man was there spouting off about how he wanted that ruling right away, but now we gotta wait. It's a trick, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I've been tied up here and certainly couldn't have been in on planning any trick. Did it look like the judge was really sick?"

"I'm asking the questions here."

Motioning to two of the men to come forward, the man gave instructions. Adam was pulled to his feet after he was untied from the post. His hands were left tied behind him. He had little feeling in his hands and worried that he might not be able to use them if they were untied. He did make an offer though.

"I could write a note to my father telling him I'm still alive and to please do what you say."

"No, I don't trust you at all. No, we're going to find out what you know right now."

One of the men hit Adam in the back with a vicious blow. He dropped to his knees but was hauled upright again. "Now, what kind of trick is your father pulling?"

Gasping with the pain, Adam paused before answering because he had a very good idea what his answer would cause. He was correct and was down on his knees again. Hauled to his feet once more, he took a pummeling from two of the men. Unable to block any blow or even prepare for them, he was soon down on his knees again.

"Now tell me what your old man is doing."

Through rapidly swelling lips that were bleeding, Adam shook his head negatively in that he didn't know. They thought he was refusing to talk, and the beating continued until he lost consciousness. When he awoke later, he was still lying in the dirt of the stable. They had not tied him to the post believing that he wasn't going anywhere in his condition. He did his best to look around with the one eye he could open and saw that they didn't even have a guard on him any more. He tried to roll over to sit up and realized why they were so sure of themselves as the pain caused him to black out once more. By the time he awoke again, it was getting dark. He tried to remember where he was and couldn't. The lack of food and water with exposure and then the vicious beating had completely disoriented him. He saw some people moving toward him in the dusk and cringed. He didn't think he could survive another beating. They left him alone though and watered the horses and gave them fresh grass. Adam's mouth was so dry his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. Once the men left, he began to laboriously crawl the ten feet or so to the buckets of water set out for the horses. He pushed himself along using his feet and had to stop after every few inches of progress to let the pains diminish a bit before he pushed himself a little further. He almost laughed at one point thinking it would be morning before he got to the water and by then they would be outside again and deny it to him. He kept pushing though. He had to do something to try to stay alive and choosing to lie still in the cold would probably be his last decision. As he worked to get to the water, it helped his mind to clear a little, and the effort of moving was keeping him warmer or he was developing a fever. He decided it might be both.

The next morning, Hoss was surprised to see Dolan ride by their concealed location. He thought he would not be getting out of jail for many years. A short time later, Maggie and his father joined them. Hoss had to ask.

"What's going on, Pa?"

"Dolan gets an even shorter sentence. He's going to tell them he escaped and wants to help so that they'll help him get away. Meanwhile he'll tell them that he saw one of their other men in town and that the court hearing will be in two days as the judge is recovering. He'll also be the one man up there who has a vested interest in keeping Adam alive. Any word on Joe's plan?"

"Saw some mirror signals early this morning. I think they've got some people working their way down the cliff. Every now and then, we think we see some movement up there, but without a spyglass, it's too hard to tell."

Maggie pulled out a small telescope at that point and set it on a small tripod. Sighting in on the cliffs, she smiled. "There are at least three men climbing down. I doubt they can be seen from the cabin there. If they look straight up, the slight angle will be cover enough. As long as they don't make something tumble down the slope, they should be able to get down without being seen."

"Can you sight in on the cabin and see if you can spot Adam at any point?" Ben was very worried, and knew that Annie must be sick with worry by this point.

"There's no movement at all. They seem to be inside the shack yet. Take a look for yourself. You must have some experience with one of these."

Ben sighted in on the cabin and drew the same conclusions as Maggie. Now they had to wait to see what the Paiute might accomplish.

"Now what to we do?" Ben looked to Hoss to be filled in on the rest of the plan.

"Joe will signal when the Paiute get down to the cabin. Whenever he tells us, we gotta be ready to ride."

"Hoss, I think we should send someone back to alert Roy. Those Paiute are nearly at the bottom now. Soon we'll lose sight of them as they move toward the cabin."

Candy volunteered. He said he would alert Roy and then make sure their horses were ready to go at a moment's notice. From the top of the cliff, Joe watched the Paiute descend and then move into the brush. He spotted them a few more times as they approached the cabin. Then inexplicably they went into the ramshackle little stable instead of advancing on the cabin and its occupants. Soon he saw why. Two of them came out of the stable carrying a black clad figure. Joe couldn't tell if he was alive or dead, but he could tell he wasn't moving. One of the Paiute stayed behind to cover the rescue, and then moved quickly into the brush with the others. Once they were well away from the cabin, they signaled to Joe to alert the others to approach the cabin. Joe pulled his mirror up and sent the signal to the others concealed in the treeline.

Inside the cabin, the syndicate hirelings suddenly realized they were facing an attack with a rush of men on horseback headed their way. Several ran to the stable to grab the hostage and were shocked to find him gone. Heading back to the others, they were told to go find him. They ran to the brush behind the stable thinking it was the only place he could be and were soon on the ground with wounds from arrows. The men in the cabin opened fire on the riders hoping to slow them down or stop them, but there were too many. They fled out the back of the cabin only to have rifle shots from the ridge hit the dirt in front of them and saw two of their men lying dead with arrows protruding. They knew they were beaten as horsemen raced around the sides of the cabin to confront them. They asked the men not too politely where Adam was, and when they said they didn't know, they were soon on the ground from blows from Hoss.

"Now I want to know where he is and you better tell me. Ifn he's hurt or dead, you're gonna wish you was."

Numaga led the Paiute from the brush and told Hoss and Ben that they had Adam. Father and brother rushed to see him. He was bloodied and bruised, but when he saw his father and brother, he was able to smile. The Paiute had been giving him water and that was reviving him although the pain of his injuries was going to prevent him from walking or doing much of anything else for a long time. Ben noted that his hands were so swollen that he could not hold the skin of water. The Paiute passed it to Ben as he knelt at Adam's side. He gave him water, and wet his handkerchief to wipe some of the dried blood from his face.

"Hoss, he isn't going to be able to ride. Would you go back to the ranch for a wagon? And I'm sure Annie would like to come along too. You know what to bring with you."

Soon Roy was back with a blanket from the cabin. Between the two of them, they eased Adam onto the blanket. Then with the help of Candy and some of the other men, they carried Adam to the cabin. As they got there, Hoss was hitting one of the prisoners and knocked him to the ground. Then he stepped to the next one and slammed a fist into his face as well. Roy yelled out to ask Hoss what he was doing.

"Roy, these men are resisting arrest. I'm just making sure they don't get away."

"Well, as long as you got a good reason. Just one punch each, though, ought to do it."

"I'd like to do more, Roy, but I can live with that." The third man fell to the ground when Hoss pulled his arm back. "On the other hand, seeing em hang ought to be enough I guess." Hoss grabbed Chubb and headed back to the ranch then as the prisoners were rounded up and taken back to town by Roy and his posse. Maggie went with them.

Inside the cabin, Ben and Candy worked to strip the filthy clothing from Adam. Then they set about bathing him and bandaging the wounds that needed it as well as strapping his ribs which made it a lot easier for him to breathe. Adam was still very thirsty so every ten minutes or so, they gave him more water. With his lips so swollen and his jaw so sore, he needed some soft food and they didn't have any. They assumed Hop Sing would send some along with Hoss and Annie. It would only be a few more hours.

After about an hour, Joe arrived and was shocked at Adam's appearance but very glad that he was alive. He had left the top of the ridge as soon as he had sent the signal and worried all the way there. He had greeted the Paiute thanking them and sending them with a couple of the hands to get the fifty cattle he had promised them. Then he had come inside to see his brother. "You look a little worse for wear there, older brother. Annie might be too scared to take you home with her."

Adam smiled a tiny smile because it was all he was capable of doing. Then he mumbled something, and Joe had to ask what he said so Ben translated. "He said thank you."

"You're welcome. I want you to know I was on top of that ridge behind the cabin. There aren't many people I would do that for."

But Adam didn't hear that part for he had fallen asleep. Warm and feeling safe, he had given in to the exhaustion. Ben pulled a chair up next to the bed to sit with him. Joe and Candy began looking for what they needed to cook up some hot food. Within a short time, they had a small pot of coffee brewing, a pot of beans soaking, and had some hot water ready for tea or whatever else Hop Sing might send. Then all they could do was wait.

Chapter 9

In town, Judge Henry had recovered from the emetic that Doctor Martin had given him. He was feeling a little queasy yet, but had some work to do. He went to his courtroom and with his bailiff's help and with Roy and Paul in attendance, he invalidated the contracts Ben had been forced to sign. Maggie sent telegrams out to a number of cities and arrests commenced in all of those locations simultaneously. By the end of the day, there would be well over one hundred people from the syndicate in custody, but not the top leaders. There would be pressure applied to those they had arrested to see if they could get those names. For the time being, they had to be satisfied to have the bird in the hand. The syndicate was broken and would not be able to be fixed. It would have to be enough.

After putting in a print order for wanted posters on Dolan who had slipped away during the confusion, Roy asked Maggie what to do about the two men who had been killed. He had been told by Ben that they were undercover agents who had been killed by the third who was a double agent. Maggie said she would know by the end of the day because she had sent that information in a wire as well. The two men did not have any immediate family so Maggie told Roy they would probably be buried in Virginia City. Then she went to get some lunch and wait for answers to her messages.

Driving up the hills to the line shack, Hoss was encouraged by Annie to go faster. "Sis, ifn you want this wagon to be in one piece so we can bring Adam home, then we cain't go no faster than this. Now he's gonna be fine. He does look worse than he is, but that's what happens when people hit ya in the face."

"How bad does he look?"

"Reckon the two black eyes and a swollen lip are the worst of it. He didn't get no food or water either, and they left him outside in the stable overnight. Pa was gonna clean him up, bandage what needed it, and then get him into a warm bed to rest. He was giving him all the water he wanted too." Hoss didn't say that there was some likely kidney damage, and that Adam was barely able to stay conscious. Annie would learn the rest soon enough. He just wanted her to be ready for how Adam looked. Adam had been through worse and come out of it all right. Hoss had to assume that would be true again. Hop Sing was in the back of the wagon and had brought a lot of his special drinks, salve, and food along in a basket. There was a real possibility that Adam wouldn't be moved until the next day, so they had brought another very large basket filled with food and other items.

"Was the doctor there for him?"

"Nope, he was in town tending to Judge Henry. He made him sick so he would have a good excuse to delay the hearing and give us more time. He's probably on his way right now. Might beat us there, but maybe not."

Doctor Martin did not beat them there. Annie and Hoss arrived first. Annie almost leaped from the wagon to run up the hill when they cleared the tree line and Hoss had to slow the team to avoid damaging the wheels on rocks. "Sissy, we're almost there. A couple more minutes ain't gonna make any bit of difference to Adam but could make a lot of difference to this team and this wagon. Just hang on. We'll be there in less than ten minutes."

"Oh, Hoss, my heart hurts so much. I just need to see him to know everything will really be all right."

Wishing he could wrap an arm around Annie to soothe here, Hoss had to be content to offer his reassurance and keep the team moving up the hill. As soon as he began to slow the team near the line shack, Annie did jump out and run to it. Ben opened the door to greet her and prepare her for what she would see, but she wasn't waiting a second longer. She pushed past Ben and moved to the bed in the corner. She had to hold back a gasp when she saw Adam. If anything, the swelling had increased on his face, and he was pale. He was also still sleeping. Annie very gently embraced him and held herself against him. When she pulled away, Adam was looking at her. He tried to say something, but his voice was very weak so she leaned close to hear him. He struggled to say three things.

"Je t'aime, sweetheart."

"I hope I didn't hurt you, but I had to touch you to be sure you were really here."

"It felt good."

"What do you want me to do? I'll do anything you want."

"Just stay by me."

"I can do that. Hop Sing is here now too, and he'll brew up some tea and some broth for you. Just rest now, and I'll tell you about our son's latest antics." So for the next ten minutes, Annie entertained Adam with stories about Andrew. As his eyes began to droop, she told him he had to try to stay awake until Hop Sing's concoctions were ready. She leaned down to hear what he had to say to that and had to smile.

"That may make me want to sleep even more. Have you tasted those teas he makes me drink?"

Loud enough for Hop Sing to hear, Annie answered. "Yes, I have tasted a number of Hop Sing's concoctions, and I found them to be quite delicious."

"You're buttering him up now."

"Hop Sing doesn't need any buttering up. He's just wonderful the way he is."

Just after that comment, Hop Sing brought a cup of broth and a cup of tea for Adam. He set them on the small table next to the bed allowing Annie the pleasure of making sure Adam drank both. With the warm soothing drinks, Adam wanted to go to sleep, but Doctor Martin walked in the door then eliciting a groan from Adam instead. Paul was concerned about that.

"Is he in a lot of pain?"

"No, that's just his special greeting for doctors." Annie smiled down at Adam who scowled at her but couldn't hold it.

"Yes, I'm familiar with how the Cartwrights feel about doctors when they're the patient. They always like me a lot better when I'm treating another member of the family. And if I asked him how he was, he would say he was fine too." Everyone but Annie left the line shack then to let the doctor do his examination. He concurred with everything he had been told except he thought the bruising of the kidneys was serious, and that the cracked ribs were more of a problem too when he found one soft spot that indicated to him that part of one rib was slightly displaced.

"The kidneys will heal but he needs complete bed rest. That rib may not be a problem as long as it doesn't move. It could press on the lung or even puncture it which could be extremely serious."

"Can I go home?"

"Preferably, I would like you in bed in one place for a week, but I have to admit this line shack is far from ideal for that. So I'll give a guarded yes to you going home. I want you to rest here until tomorrow morning. Now I can see an argument building just by your look, but I have a very good reason. It's already afternoon. By the time they got you loaded in the wagon and headed home, they would have to hurry more than I would want. If you leave tomorrow morning, the wagon can travel slowly and even stop to give you a few breaks during the trip. You may think it isn't necessary, but tomorrow you may thank me for it."

Annie looked down at Adam and smiled. "That's reasonable, isn't it? I'll be here with you, and Hop Sing has all sorts of good things for you. You'll be stronger by tomorrow morning too with a good night's sleep and plenty to drink."

Giving in to the pressure, Adam simply nodded and closed his eyes to rest. He knew all too well that if he argued, his father and brothers would take the doctor's side, and he was in no shape to try to do anything on his own at the moment. His fingers were almost painful, and he couldn't even sit up by himself. He hated being an invalid but really had no choice. Almost as if the doctor was reading his mind, he began massaging Adam's right hand showing Annie how gently he wanted it done. Soon it was Annie's soft gentle fingers working the muscles in his hand and bending the fingers to restore flexibility and feeling. He had to admit his hands felt better after she finished, and he heard the doctor say that it should be done several times more that evening to increase the circulation to help reduce the swelling. Annie applied cool wet cloths to his face especially to his eyes soothing the pain and swelling. Whenever Hop Sing prepared a tea or broth, she spooned it for him until he had to go. Luckily Doctor Martin had thought to bring a brass urinal so he could take care of his necessary business without leaving the bed although someone had to place it and remove it for him. He told Annie how much he didn't like the feeling of helplessness and being cared for like a baby, but she reminded him that there was no alternative for him to which he had to reluctantly agree.

After Doctor Martin returned to town, and Joe and Candy returned to the ranch to take care of things there, sleeping arrangements for everyone else needed to be established. Adam wanted Annie to sleep beside him saying the bed was wide enough. She was a bit embarrassed to do that with the other men in the same cabin but Hoss and Ben took care of that by tacking a blanket to the ceiling to act as a makeshift wall next to the bed. Hoss had packed two mattresses in the back of the wagon for Adam's return trip and those were brought in for Ben and Hop Sing to use. Hoss used blankets, bedrolls, and a saddle to make a comfortable sleeping pad for himself in the wagon so he wouldn't disturb the others with his snoring. A lantern was left burning low on the table next to Adam's bed so that they wouldn't have to fumble in the dark when he needed something during the night. Adam was asleep before they finished preparations, and his soft snoring was reassurance to everyone that he would be all right.

In the morning, Adam was even more stiff than the day before but could open both eyes and asked for something solid to eat. Hop Sing obliged with a soft scrambled egg and a biscuit with more tea. Adam said he had enough tea to float a boat, but that only brought laughter and no sympathy. Although Adam claimed he could walk to the wagon by himself, that was proven wrong when he was unable to even swing his legs out of the bed. Annie and Ben helped him into a nightshirt after replacing any bandages that were soiled, and then Hoss and Ben got him to the wagon and stretched out on a mattress. He was exhausted just from that and fell asleep almost immediately which was a relief to Hoss who knew the first part of the ride home would be the bumpiest and least comfortable. If Adam could sleep until they reached the soft grass of a pasture and then the road, it would be a far more pleasant ride home. Hop Sing assured Hoss that Adam would sleep at least that long and be comfortable.

"You put something in his tea, didn't you? No wonder you were so insistent he had to drink it all this morning." Hoss had wondered at Hop Sing's persistence in getting Adam to drink the tea that made him grimace with every sip.

"Only put in tea what he need." Hop Sing was offended to think that Hoss believed he might have done something wrong.

"Oh, Hop Sing, I know you did. I'm just remembering his sour face when he drank it. When he figures out what you did, you're gonna have a heck of a time getting him to drink any more of your tea."

"I add sugar, lots of sugar next time. Maybe honey too. He not know."

Chuckles all around lightened the mood and made the long slow trip home more pleasant. By late in the afternoon, Adam was in his own bed. The only unpleasant note was that Andrew was scared of him, and only would go near him if Annie was holding him. He heard the voice and recognized it, but Adam's face was too bruised and swollen yet for him to be able to recognize him. It would take a few days for Andrew to relax around his father. Then he enjoyed that his father was there all day and in bed needing company. After two days, they even began taking their naps together. Adam did grouse about being confined to bed for a week, and then being confined to the house and forbidden to do anything for another week, but his wife and son did their best to keep him occupied.

Will and Laura had moved back to California with their children and Aunt Lil, and Will hoped to rebuild his business. Ben offered some financial assistance, but Will said he needed to do this on his own. At the end of two weeks, Maggie had officially concluded her investigation and submitted her resignation. She was staying at a boarding house in town until she and Hoss married. Coming home from a visit with Maggie, Hoss was waving a newspaper when he arrived in the house.

"Pa, Adam, ya gotta read this. A Senator from California and some members of Congress from Colorado and a slew of other politicians have resigned. They all have health or family issues requiring their attention. The heads of a couple of big companies in California have retired and are going on a grand tour of Europe with their families. It says here they don't plan to be back for several years. I asked Maggie if this was because of her investigation, and she just smiled. Ya think that means yes?"

Adam wanted the paper and read the whole article carefully. He handed it to his father then who did the same. When Ben finished reading, he looked at his sons and smiled. "Yes, Hoss, I think that is exactly what it means."

Chapter 10

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Annie picked up Andrew so they could go outside to watch Adam chop wood. It was three weeks since he had come home, and just a week before, the sound had been a weak Thud! and then he would wait until the pain and weakness passed until he tried another blow. It had taken him a whole afternoon that first time just to fill the wood box by Hop Sing's stove. Each day, he had done more and this morning, he was chopping away with abandon. Annie smiled as she walked past Ben as he smiled in return. She did worry that Adam was getting too enthusiastic and might have a setback if he did too much, but when she saw him working with his shirt open and smiling when he saw her and Andrew, she knew he was fine.

It was good to have life returning to normal. Hoss and Joe were moving the herds to the lower pastures and would be separating out stock to drive to market. Maggie visited often except she had not been there that week because Hoss was up in the high pastures. She and Hoss had decided to live in the ranch house with the others. It would be crowded a bit until Adam's house was completed, but Maggie had never lived in such a bustling family and found it all very enjoyable. Hoss asked her if she would be bored living on a ranch and her answer pleased him greatly.

"Hoss, my life has always been too exciting. Growing up, there were parties and balls and constant social expectations. Then when I was recruited to find information for the government from powerful men, an element of danger was added. Then this last investigation almost cost me the life of my fiancé's brother. I have had too much excitement. I look forward to a more peaceful and natural life with you."

"That's what I aim to give ya then, darling. All you need to do is to promise to tell me if it gets too predictable or doesn't interest you. I never want you to feel you're missing something."

So Maggie and Hoss began planning the wedding except most of the decisions were made by Maggie after consulting with Annie and Michele. They planned on a Thanksgiving wedding, and if all went well, Adam and Annie would move to their new house then too.

Adam's injuries had prevented him from doing any work on his new house for almost two and one half weeks. But earlier that week, when he was strong enough, his father and brothers had given him a ride to his new home. The walls were up and windows and doors were in. The plastering had been done, and the house was livable. Stoves were installed as were a new bath tub and wash tub with drains to the outside. Finishing work like the crown molding and ceiling medallions were not done, and the equipment for the water closet had not yet arrived, but as Adam got stronger, he could do more of the finishing work. By the time that Hoss and Joe were home from the fall drive, Adam had begun to make headway on the finishing work in his house installing interior doors and crown molding. Annie and Michele were sewing curtains for the windows and quilts for the beds to match. Maggie came out to help as often as she could.

As plans for the wedding progresses, Adam and Annie got ready to move into their new home vacating the two adjoining bedrooms for Hoss and Maggie to take. Hoss wondered why they couldn't stay in his bedroom, but his father and Adam clued him in.

"Son, if you're married, you will likely need that second bedroom eventually so it makes sense to claim it now."

"What? Oh." And Hoss blushed a little but smiled too. The thought of having his own child was pretty exciting.

"And, big brother, you might find it's nice to have some privacy too. In addition, if you snore too loudly, Maggie can escape into that second bedroom for some quiet so she can sleep too."

"I don't snore that loud."

"In comparison to what? A herd of cows stampeding?" Ben had to chuckle at Adam's question even as Hoss struggled to think of a comeback. Hoss' snoring was legendary but never having heard himself, he continued to think they were just teasing him when they complained. The whole family was waiting to see what his reaction would be when Maggie mentioned his snoring.

As the wedding day approached, guest rooms were readied for Maggie's brother and his wife, Matthew and Priscilla, who were coming from Texas and traveling through Denver where they would meet their sister, Martha, who, according to Maggie, was the pretty one in the family. No one could even imagine that. Hoss helped Adam and Annie move into their new home and arrange furniture which kept his mind off the wedding day until the night before.

In the afternoon of the day before the wedding, Maggie's brother and sister arrived. Martha was as pretty as Maggie but in a different way much like both Adam and Joe were handsome but in different ways. Where Maggie was a beautiful woman, Martha was the cutest girl any of them had seen for quite a while. She had green eyes which set off the blond hair she had like her siblings. Where Maggie was tall and almost statuesque, Martha was petite. She joked that as the youngest, she never got enough to eat because Maggie and Matt grabbed it all, and she was too small to fight them for it. Hoss said that's funny because it was the same thing that had happened to Joe. Normally Joe would have taken offense at that comment but he was so smitten with Martha that Adam quipped that he wasn't even hearing anything they had to say.

"I've been hearing you two morons, but I've chosen not to lower myself to your level. For now, I prefer staying up here in heaven with an angel."

Adam made fake gagging sounds and Hoss acted like he was retching. Nothing seemed to get Joe to respond so they finally gave up. Hop Sing had prepared a sumptuous dinner of fish and noodles for everyone. He told them it was for abundance and prosperity. Adam picked up three small boxes he had brought into the house then. He handed one to Hop Sing, one to Annie, and one to Maggie.

"Originally, I had one made for my wife, but with everything that happened, I was not able to pick it up for her birthday. By the time I got to town, I had them make two more for very deserving people."

Opening his first, Hop Sing found a jade figurine of the river dragon holding aloft a large fish. "You remembered story I tell you as boy. It is for abundance and prosperity. I thank you." Ben was standing closest to Hop Sing and could swear he saw tears in the man's eyes as he returned to his kitchen.

Maggie opened hers next. It was a silver fish with emerald eyes. "I hope you don't have something new already for your wedding. Now all you need is the something old, borrowed, and blue."

Opening hers with anticipation after seeing the others, Annie was not disappointed. It was a golden river dragon with ruby eyes. She kissed Adam more passionately than the others usually saw her, but understood all the feeling behind that kiss. "It's going to look wonderful with my dress tomorrow. Thank you, sweetheart." After dinner, Adam and Annie left with Andrew to spend their first night in their new home as the guests settled in to the extra rooms with Maggie and Martha sharing Hoss's old room while Matt and Priscilla were downstairs.

The next morning, everyone had breakfast together and then went to dress. Hoss went to Adam's house because they invited him and because all the ladies said he could not see his bride in her dress until the wedding. Hoss was very nervous so Adam asked him to take care of Andrew while he and Annie dressed. He dressed as slowly as he could hoping that Hoss would get his mind off his upcoming wedding and be able to enjoy some time relaxing with Andrew who adored him. Then finally it was time to go to the house for the wedding. Once inside, Hoss stood nervously staring at the top of the stairs as guests milled about and Adam and Joe made sure everyone knew where they were to be for the ceremony. When Maggie appeared at the top of the stairs, Hoss was mesmerized and the crowd took a collective deep breath at the beauty she was especially all decked out in her hand embroidered and stitched wedding dress. Matthew escorted his sister down the stairs to stand beside Annie and Martha as Adam and Joe stood with Hoss.

Later, Hoss did not remember the ceremony but did remember the kiss to seal their marriage as the minister presented them as Mr. and Mrs. Eric Cartwright. There was the wedding feast, dancing, and lots of congratulations and toasts. All of it made Hoss more and more nervous. He was worried that when they got to the bedroom, Maggie might be disappointed in him as a husband. He had nothing to fear for she welcomed his gentle touches and kisses, and returned his passion with her own. They walked down the stairs the next morning arm-in-arm with their family sitting at the dining table. Hoss remembered the times he had seen Adam and Annie walk down just that way and now knew why they seemed to glow when they were together like that. He felt a fire inside that he was sure caused his skin to glow too.

At Adam's new house, he and Annie were working on their own glow again that morning. They had enjoyed the privacy of their new home the two nights they were there and the mornings. Andrew slept a little later here, and they assumed it was because it was a quieter house, and that his bedroom was on the opposite end of the hallway from theirs. Annie rested her head on Adam's chest and listened to the soothing sound of his steady heartbeat.

"It's all been worth it, hasn't it, Adam? All the trouble and everything have just made us stronger."

"Yes, but I could do with a bit less everything and a whole lot of good things happening. Speaking of good, how good a cook are you? I'm starving."

"Well, I'm not really hungry. I may just have some toast and tea, but I'll make some eggs and bacon with biscuits for you and Andrew. Maybe."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I must have just overdone it with the food and dancing and everything last night. Just the thought of fixing that food made my stomach flip. I'll be fine just as soon as I have some toast."

Annie slipped out of bed, put on her robe, and headed toward the kitchen. Adam got up and put on his robe but with a thoughtful expression as he walked down the hall to pick up his son. It was a new day, and the first day of his brother Hoss' married life. He was looking forward to going to the house to tease him. He also hoped to tease Joe about his infatuation with Martha, but so far Joe had seemed impervious to such teasing. Annie had asked him if Joe was in love again. Adam had said he wasn't sure because he fell in and out of love so fast. They would have to wait and see on that and on other things.

A Time for Everything

Chapter 1

The spot next to him in bed was cool and there was no warm body snuggled up to his. Early in the morning, Adam awakened and found himself alone in bed which was quite unusual. Annie usually liked to sleep in and he would often stay in bed longer himself enjoying the feeling of her snuggled up to him and sleeping so peacefully. He immediately got up and walked to the end of the hall to see if she was in Andrew's bedroom but found his toddler sleeping peacefully. Relieved that their son was not the cause of her early rising, he began to search for her. He found her in the washroom rinsing out rags and crying. The day before she had found that once again her queasy stomach meant that her flow had arrived and there was no pregnancy. Hoss and Maggie had announced at the previous Sunday's dinner that they were expecting and that the doctor thought it might be twins. In approximately five months, they would know. At one point, Annie had despaired that she would ever have a child, and she and Adam had married thinking that was true. When Andrew arrived though, Annie's attitude had changed. She wanted another child so much. She prayed and hoped, but had been disappointed so far. Adam walked in the room and slid his arms around her. She resisted a little at first but gave in and slumped into his embrace.

"Am I losing my touch? That's not much of a hug back."

His gentle words brought forth more tears. She only had her flow once or twice a year, and each time she was very emotional and often nauseated. So it had been this time and about six months earlier. Adam had found that he waited with as much anticipation as Annie did when she first started feeling queasy, but he did not have the overwhelming sadness when it was not a pregnancy. Adam had thought he might never have a child and to have one as wonderful as Andrew had made him content in many ways. He didn't know how to convey that to Annie who felt that somehow she was failing as a wife for not being able to produce another child.

"Sweetheart, we have a wonderful son. We are so happy with each other. We have a beautiful home and a big family who love us. Can't that be enough?"

"Of course it could be enough, but each time I'm so hopeful and sure it's the same feeling I had when I was with child, but then it is so heartbreaking to realize there is no child growing inside me. Adam, I want that so much. I pray and I pray, and I almost beg God to please let it be true."

"Annie, I think we have to relax and just let it happen. It worked out once when we weren't even trying. Maybe if we could not think about it so much, it would just happen again."

"Now you sound like Doc Martin. Have you been talking with him about me?"

"Not at all. Maybe we just think alike on this."

"Michele says the same thing. She said she's never had a child, and wishes it could happen but knows it probably won't. She says she's happy with all the stepchildren she has, a grandchild, and maybe two more on the way."

"You used to think much the same way. You thought you couldn't have a baby."

"I know, I know, count my blessings, and, Adam, I do, but I still want another baby very much. I don't know how not to want that now."

Not knowing if there was anything he could say to make things any better, Adam pulled Annie close to him and kissed the top of her head and she rested against him. Gently he took her hand and led her back to their bedroom. He slid in the bed and flung the covers wide so that Annie would be able to get in bed unimpeded.

"We can't do anything, you know."

"Yes we can. We can hold each other and take comfort in each other's arms. We probably have another hour before Andrew wakes up and it's Saturday so we don't have to rush anywhere. C'mon."

So Annie moved into the bed and into Adam's arms. He pulled the covers up and held her close. As she rested her head on his chest, he began singing a slow low lullaby and was rewarded about ten minutes later with soft gentle breathing that let him know that Annie had fallen asleep. Smiling, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the comfort of being with a wife whom he loved more than life itself. It felt so good to be able to comfort her in her sadness. He was sad too but would never let Annie know how disappointed he was each time as she was. He needed to be strong for her so he was. When he heard Andrew's call, he went to get him after changing him into dry clothing. Then he slipped him into bed next to Annie and told him to kiss her. Andrew loved doing that so that was how Annie awakened with kisses and a smiling toddler. Her mood immediately improved and she got out of bed slipping her robe back on and took Andrew downstairs to get him something to eat as Adam shaved.

After breakfast, the three headed to the main house. Adam was going into town with Hoss to get supplies, and the three ladies had plans to do some baking as Hop Sing took the weekend off to celebrate a wedding and a birth in the Chinese community in Virginia City. Usually the ladies had to do things like baking or learning how to make a new dish in Annie's kitchen but had Hop Sing's kitchen for the weekend and had to prepare meals anyway.

As Adam walked in the door, Ben looked up from his chair where he had been reading the paper. He had to smile every time he saw Adam and his family. He had worried at one time that Adam might leave because he felt unfulfilled with ranch work. Annie and then Andrew had given Adam a brighter perspective on the ranch as he thought of it now as a place to be with his family. His new house had gotten a lot of attention too because of some of the modern design and the amenities he had incorporated into it. He was now designing two houses for people in town and had the interest of others. For Ben, this could not have worked out better. That his grandson adored him and would run to him as soon as his father set him on the floor was a huge and welcome bonus.

"He still walks and runs like a drunken sailor, but at least he doesn't knock things over any more and he hasn't gotten any more black eyes lately either." Adam smiled as he said it though watching his son propel himself across the room into his grandpa's waiting arms.

Soon Hoss, Joe, and Michele were there too with Andrew being the center of attention and enjoying that a great deal. Adam looked at Annie and smirked.

"He must have gotten that from you. I never liked having everyone looking at me like that. It usually meant I was in trouble."

"Yes, Jeremy has told us tales about you, Annie. He says you used to dance around and sing for everybody until they gave you hugs and kisses." Hoss loved his sister-in-law and couldn't resist teasing her.

"Hey, Hoss, now that they got their own house, maybe she does that for Adam."

"Joseph, that is not appropriate. You should apologize to Annie right now."

"It's all right, Papa. I grew up with a brother and I know what a pain in the behind they can be." Annie smirked in Joe's direction knowing that Ben would never chastise her for her comment no matter how much he wanted to do just that. He would defer to Adam on that score.

"Speaking of which, someone's bottom might just get that spanking she so richly deserves if she keeps up that cheeky talk." Adam tried a stare down with Annie but she was in a mood to stand up to him so they both had to give up after a few minutes when it was clear neither would win. Annie wisely decided to change the subject though.

"Where's Maggie?"

"She's feeling poorly in the mornings. Hop Sing said if she would stay in bed and drink some tea and eat some of those biscuits he makes when your stomach is sour, well then, he said she'd feel better. She'll be down in a bit. It usually only lasts an hour or so."

No one could miss the sad look that came over Annie. Adam wrapped an arm around her but said nothing. He knew she would have to work this out for herself. She couldn't get sad every time someone said something in reference to Maggie being pregnant. Instead Hoss said he would go get the wagon ready so he and Adam could head to town. Ben said he had some mail ready to go and would get it, and Joe offered to go help Hoss before he headed out on his own errands. After a few minutes, Annie told Adam she was all right, and he needed to get going if he planned to be back by dinner because Hoss would not forgive him for making him late when his wife was cooking dinner for him. With a smile and a kiss for Annie and then Andrew, Adam took the mail from Ben to join Hoss.

In town, Hoss and Adam dropped their list off at the mercantile, and then headed to the saddlery and the jewelry shop. Adam was going to help Hoss pick out a piece of jewelry to give to Maggie when the baby was born. After that, they dropped off the mail, and then had lunch. By the time they got back to the mercantile, their order was ready, and they packed the wagon.

"Older brother, we did all of that in record time. I think it would be a good idea to congratulate ourselves with a beer or two."

"Bigger brother, that sounds like a wonderful plan. Let's go."

Being married now, neither brother was in a saloon much any more except on trips like this. Hoss couldn't help it and told a few friends that he was going to be a father. That led to congratulations and a lot more than one or two beers for the big man. Adam had two and surmised that he would be driving the rig home as Hoss slept in the back. It usually seemed to happen that way. A couple of miners in the back of the saloon did not take part in the celebration. Mines were laying off workers again, and they were in a sour mood. One decided to see what he could do to shut down the celebrating.

"Hey, Hoss, that's great. Too bad your older brother can't seem to make that happen with his wife."

Adam bristled at the statement, and Hoss put a hand on his arm. "Adam, maybe we should go now?"

"Yeah, you better get him outta here. He ain't much of a man so his brother has to take care of him. What's the matter, Cartwright, can't plow deep enough? Hey, if you ain't man enough, I got five kids already, and I could stop by and take a turn with your wife."

Hoss grabbed Adam then with some help from a couple of cowboys who didn't want to see Adam get in trouble. The miner's next comment made them let him go though.

"Maybe you weren't even the father of the first one. Who done her for ya that time?"

As Adam launched himself at the offending miner, several other miners decided to help their friend so Hoss stepped up to help Adam and the whole thing escalated from there. Roy got to the door as fast as he could when he heard there was a ruckus with the Cartwrights in the saloon. What he didn't expect was that Adam was in the middle of it, and Little Joe was nowhere to be found.

"Now that's enough of that." Roy fired off his shotgun then and stopped the melee. "Now who started this?" The loudmouthed miner was the first to speak as Adam was standing trying to get his breath back and stop the bleeding from his nose.

"Adam Cartwright started it. He threw the first punches, and when my friends tried to help me, Hoss Cartwright stepped right into it too."

"Adam, you started this?" At Adam's nod, Roy looked to Cosmo.

"With what Buck said, I was ready to hit him. Adam was goaded into it, and any man would have reacted the way he did."

Walking to the bar, Roy asked Cosmo what was said. Quietly, Cosmo told him. Looking at the miners, Roy told them that they were not welcome in town for two weeks. "Ifn I see you anywhere in town except church for the next two weeks, you're going to jail. Is that clear?"

One miner was going to object, but the others grabbed his arm and hustled him out of the saloon. Roy looked over at Adam and Hoss then. "I understand what happened, but ya still started a fight. By rights, I should probably fine you for disorderly conduct, but considering what was said to you, I'll settle for you paying for the damages. It don't look like too much except for the shotgun blast in the ceiling. Cosmo has fixed a few of those in the past and knows how much it costs. Cosmo, you got an idea on damages this time?"

"I think about thirty dollars this time. No glass and no furniture got broken."

Pulling money from his pocket, Adam paid the thirty dollars and added a generous tip for Cosmo. He thanked him before he and Hoss left. Roy shook his head and followed them out. He figured anything he said to them at that point would pale in comparison to what they would hear from their wives and from Ben so he just watched them walk to the wagon and head out of town before he walked back to his office.

In the saloon, a bearded man in nondescript clothing was smiling. It had all been very entertaining, and he now had a plan for bringing down Adam Cartwright. They could not rebuild the syndicate, but they had other plans on a smaller scale, and there were people who were going to be removed to set an example for anyone else who tried to get in their way. After Adam, he would take care of Maggie Cartwright although he didn't like the idea of doing away with a pregnant woman so she could wait until after the babies were born. Then, when that was done, Ben Cartwright would be in the crosshairs. The deaths of the three of them would be an adequate warning not to mess with the plans they had, and the Ponderosa was still part of the overall scheme.

Chapter 2

The bearded man took a room at one of the small nondescript hotels in town. He dressed in such a way as to not draw attention. He worked his way around a couple of saloons until he had the name and then the location of the antagonist from the brawl with Adam Cartwright the day before. Then he moved to the Ponderosa taking up a position in the trees where he could observe the ranch houses and see who was coming and going. When he saw Adam ride out alone headed southwest on his third day of watching, he packed up his meager possessions and headed toward town. Once near Virginia City, he dressed all in black and pulled a rifle from its scabbard with a large silver C in the stock. He walked until he was in position and waited until his target walked outside his small ramshackle house. Buck never knew what hit him as the bullet entered his chest and penetrated his heart. He fell forward and his five children and wife raced outside to see to him. The bearded man waited in the shade of the tree until he was sure the family got a good look at him. As they looked up the hill and saw a tall man all in black with a rifle that looked to have silver in the stock, he walked away up the hill and disappeared into the trees.

On the Ponderosa, Adam had just begun to ride the fence lines. He was hoping that by the time he returned home, his wife and his father would have forgiven him for the fight in town. Both had been frosty toward him ever since he returned home with a bruised and battered face and bloody knuckles. He knew Annie was sensitive at this time and should have known his appearance would cause tears and then anger. What surprised him was his father's reaction that was stronger than he expected. Finally he had realized that his father had come to love Annie like a daughter and felt that Adam had hurt and disappointed her. Adam and Hoss had not shared the specifics of what had been said but only that Adam had been repeatedly insulted and had blown his stack. Repetition of those insults would have hurt Annie deeply. Adam had opened up to Hoss on the way home about how sad Annie was not being able to bear another child yet.

"I'm so sorry, Adam. I didn't know our good news would upset her so."

"No, Hoss, don't feel badly. It's just that Annie is sensitive about it especially when it's her time. No, you should be happy and celebrating. It's great news. I just wanted you to understand why Annie may be less than enthused when you and Maggie talk about it especially about Maggie feeling nauseated. That was the only symptom Annie had that let her know she was with child. That's why we went to see Paul. Now every time she gets a queasy stomach, she's hoping and then her hopes get dashed."

"It must be real hard on her." Thinking for a bit, Hoss had realized that they shouldn't talk then about what had happened. "So ifn we say why we was fighting, it would hurt her."

"Yes, it would hurt her. So we'll just blame the fight on my temper and pride. She'll buy that. In a few days, hopefully, she'll forgive me for my lapse in good judgment, and we can put this behind us."

"Pa may have a few words for you too."

"I know, but it isn't like he's going to take me outside for a 'talk' now."

"Sometimes the way he looks at me hurts worse than those tannings did all those years ago."

"I know what you mean. When those eyebrows push down and the mouth tightens up, you know he's thinking that you disappointed him very much. Heck all I have to do is bring Andrew with me. That will stop all his thoughts about being angry."

"Yeah, I've noticed how he dotes on your son. Do you suppose he'll be that way with mine?"

"Oh, probably worse because you'll have two of them. One for each arm, and if it happens to be girls, he's gonna be in heaven."

"You think it could be girls?"

"Of course. It must be even odds whether they're boys or girls. Which would you prefer?"

"The best would be one of each, but I have to say that with Maggie, I hope they're girls. Can you imagine how beautiful two girls would be?"

"Yeah, Hoss, but have you thought about what it might be like if they looked like you? Two girls wide in the beam and towering over the men in the area?"

"Adam, now don't you go talking like that. I may have to pound you a little myself."

And the two brothers had laughed and continued to home where Adam's reception was a bit frostier than he had expected. Annie was concerned that Andrew was getting old enough to notice Adam's damaged appearance and know what caused it. Indeed, Andrew did.

"Papa fight?"

"Yes, Papa was in a fight."

Looking at Hoss, Andrew had another question. "Papa fight Unca Hoss?"

"No, if I had a fight with Uncle Hoss, I would look a lot worse than this. Now why don't you go to Grandpa so Mama can help me clean up?" Looking over at Annie and how she looked, Adam wasn't so sure she wanted to, but she got up and walked to the kitchen ahead of him. She said nothing at first, and Adam hoped that would mean she wouldn't, but she was just getting fired up and it took a while for the steam to blow out of her ears.

"How dare you? You're a father now and you have responsibilities to your son. You're not supposed to go out there and risk yourself. What would happen to Andrew if you got yourself killed?"

"It was a barroom brawl. I wasn't going to be killed."

"And how many men have thought that before the knife ripped into their belly or a bullet tore into their chest? If you fight with angry men, bad things can happen, and don't you dare patronize me like I don't understand what happens in barroom brawls."

"I'm sorry. I guess I should just stay out of saloons. I never meant to get in a brawl. It just happened."

"Mister, I never meant that you can't go in a saloon especially with your family, but I just wish you could control that temper of yours and set a better example for our son. He knows you were in a fight. He adores you, and you know he'll want to be like you. Do you want him fighting with his fists every time he doesn't like what someone has said? Do you want him to be a saloon brawler like his father?"

Wanting to explain but knowing he would lessen his own pain but increase Annie's exponentially, Adam remained silent and nodded his head as Annie cleaned up his knuckles and spread salve on them. Then she carefully wiped his face and made sure that the slight abrasions were clean before putting salve on them too. Her gentle touch belied her fierce words, and he knew she loved him and would forgive him even if it took a few days in her heightened sensitivity. He smiled a little crooked smile at her, and she shook her head before leaning down and giving him a brief but gentle kiss.

As Adam rode the fence line, he thought about that conversation. He had lost his temper, and that likely could mean more taunts the next time he was in town. He did need to control that temper of his, and he planned to tell Annie that when he got back in a few days. As he rode late in the day, he thought about whether to push on to get to the line shack or just camp out. He decided on the line shack because of the bunk for sleeping and didn't get there until it was dusk. He cooked a small meal of beans and bacon leaving enough to have for breakfast. He felt relaxed. Although he often didn't like the boredom of ranch work, being out here riding and able to think with peace all around him and fresh grass and pine smells to soothe him made him more content than when he labored at a desk drawing plans. He guessed he had the best of both worlds now with the drafting to keep his mind rolling and the ranch work to make him feel free. He finished cleaning up and then he rolled himself into the comfort of a bed and slept until dawn not knowing what turmoil there was in town and at his home.

"Roy, you know that my husband would never bushwhack anyone. Whoever said he did is lying." Annie was incensed. She had been called to the main house by Hoss who said Roy was there with bad news. Leaving Andrew in the care of Michele and Maggie, Annie had gone to the great room to find everyone looking upset.

"Now, Annie, I know that, but you see I got six witnesses who say it was Adam. Now I gotta go by the evidence and right now it all points at Adam. He had a fight with Buck, and now Buck's dead and his wife and five kids all say it was Adam who done it. I ain't got no choice, Annie, I really don't. I need to know where Adam is. I gotta arrest him."

Looking to Ben, Hoss, and Joe, Annie wondered how this could possibly be true. Hoss was the only one to say something. "Annie, we didn't say nothing about where he is. We want to talk to him and get him to ride in on his own."

Standing in thought for a bit, Annie agreed. "Yes, and I want to be with him, and we'll get this whole ridiculous mess straightened out. I can't believe you're doing this, Roy. I can't believe you aren't trying to find the real murderer."

"Annie, there was tracks the killer made and they was from the Ponderosa and then there was tracks that headed right back here. All the evidence points at Adam so I've got no choice. Now Buck had a lot of friends and there's a lot of anger in town. You better get Adam in there soon as you can. He'll be safe in the jail. I can't promise he'll be safe anywhere else."

Realizing that none of the Cartwrights were ready to tell him anything, Roy left then hoping that Adam would make it safely to town the next day. When he left, the whole family gathered together to discuss what to do. Maggie and Michele offered to care for Andrew, and the others all planned to go to Adam and then ride into town with him. Ben tried to convince Annie to go to town to wait for them, but she had an answer to that.

"If they're so angry at Adam, do you think I would be safer in town alone or with you and my husband?"

Bowing to her logic, everyone retired for the night expecting to get an early start in the morning. Ben wasn't surprised the next morning when Annie walked in the main house before dawn with Andrew in her arms. She put him in the downstairs guest room to sleep before sitting with Ben to wait for Hoss and Joe as well as for the sun to rise. They said little as both worried about what the day would bring. Hoss joined them first.

"Do you think he's at the first line shack?" Ben was beginning to make a plan for the day's ride.

Hoss answered. "I would bet on it. It's a long day's ride to get there, but he don't like sleeping on the ground. He would want that bunk in the line shack unless he got hung up with too many fence repairs and couldn't get there."

"Then that's where we'll head first. If he went there, he's got a lot of fence in that area to check, and he'll probably still be in that area by the time we get there."

"If it took him a day to get there, wouldn't that be enough to prove he couldn't have shot Buck Davis?"

"Unfortunately, no. It's a roundabout route if you follow all the fence lines. We'll ride directly there and it's only about two hours. About two hours from there to town too."

Annie dropped her head. She didn't know how they were going to extricate Adam from this. She had hardly slept and her thoughts were all about the six witnesses against him and how hard it would be for them to prove his innocence in the face of that kind of evidence against him. All she said though was one thing that Ben and Hoss understood completely. "Damn those barroom brawls."

Chapter 3

Getting up at dawn, Adam quickly made coffee and had breakfast. He left all of his gear in the cabin because with all the fences in this area, he could spend a second night in the line shack. He headed out to start the day's work and had worked about two hours when he heard horses riding toward him. He loosened the tie on his pistol but relaxed when he saw Hoss and Joe riding out front and then Annie and his father right behind them although he feared why they would be coming to see him as a group. As they neared, he voiced his greatest fear.

"Is Andrew all right?"

Dismounting, Annie ran to him with tears in her eyes increasing his fear until she spoke. Adam dismounted to take her in his arms. "Andrew is fine. Nothing has happened to him."

"Then why are all of you here? It can't be good news."

"Oh, Adam, Buck Davis was shot and killed. His family is saying that they saw you. Roy says you have to go to town and be arrested." Annie couldn't hold back the tears, and Adam wrapped his arms around her as he looked to his father and brothers.

"What? That's ridiculous. I haven't been anywhere near town since that fight happened."

But Ben filled in more of the evidence Roy was using. "They found the gunman's tracks. He rode in from the direction of the Ponderosa, and then he rode back in this general direction. With that and his family saying they saw you, he thinks he has no alternative except to arrest you."

"You don't think I could have done something like that, do you?"

"Of course not, son, but Roy was at the ranch to arrest you last night. I told him you would come in on your own. We're here to ride with you to show everyone that we stand together on this. We'll hire a lawyer and get this mess all straightened out. I certainly wish I had not asked you to do this job. If you had been anywhere else, you would have alibi witnesses. I don't suppose you've seen anyone out here?"

"Pa, a party of Paiute came through hunting, but I doubt anyone would take their word for seeing me. Other than that, there was a miner and a mule that I sent packing. I don't know his name, and I doubt he would be in a mood to help me out even if you could find him."

"Adam, you tell me what he looked like and where you saw him, and I'll find him. He'll tell the truth too."

"Hoss, I saw him just after the duck pond where the beaver always try to build that dam. He was using the water from the pond to run a small sluice. You'll see it there. I broke it up after I sent him on his way. He wasn't finding anything anyway so he was less troublesome than he would have been if he had found some gold. He's a short man with a full beard, and had a buffalo robe tied over the back of his mule with all the various packs you usually see miners carrying."

"As soon as I can, I'll ride there to see what I can find. I was thinking I oughta ride into town with all of ya."

"Hoss, if you can find that miner and get him to tell the truth, that would help even more than riding in with me."

"You got it, brother. I'll be back as soon as I find him." Hoss wheeled his horse to head in the direction of the duck pond and hopefully a trail to follow.

"I've got my pack and supplies at the line shack, but I guess I won't be needing those where I'm going. Just tell whoever comes up here to finish the job that there are already supplies up here." Slowly Adam pried Annie's arms from around his waist. He pulled a handkerchief and wiped her eyes and cheeks. "Sweetheart, we've been through worse. At least I didn't get shot this time." With a brave small smile, Annie nodded. "We need to get going before Roy decides he needs to send a full fledged posse after me. Some of the men who volunteer for those have mighty itchy trigger fingers." Annie nodded again and Adam helped her mount up. He climbed up on Sport, took a deep breath, and turned his horse toward town. He had a lot of feelings churning inside but the greatest of them at the moment was fear. From the simple scenario laid out by his father with what Roy had told him made a very good case against him, and he was very worried that being innocent might not be enough. He couldn't say anything like that at the moment because Annie was upset enough already and it would do no good to voice his fear because there was a good chance they had all thought exactly the same thing before they even saw him today.

As the four of them rode into town, there were lots of stares and murmuring among those who saw them. As they neared the sheriff's office, angry calls rang out. Apparently there were a number of people who had come to the conclusion that Adam was guilty as he would be charged. Adam swung down from his horse and took Annie's hand after she dismounted. The two of them walked in together ignoring the taunts from the crowd although Annie had to wonder at the content. What did their having only one child have to do with this? Once inside, Roy greeted them somberly. He knew how difficult this had to be.

"Adam, I'm real sorry about this, but I ain't got a choice. I reckon your pa told you what the evidence against you is and it's just too much for me not to have to do this. So ifn you would take off your gunbelt, I'll hang it on the rack here, and you can have it once this mess gets all straightened out."

Stepping forward at that point, Ben had a question that was almost a challenge. "Do you have to arrest him? Shouldn't there be an inquest or something first?"

"Ben, Judge Walker held an inquest this morning at my request. The Davis family came in and every one of em said they saw Adam on the hill with a rifle standing by a tree. Buck's friends were there and testified as to what happened at the saloon five days ago."

"Well they certainly wouldn't be reliable witnesses. They're his friends."

"Ben, even if I brought Cosmo in for his side of it, it would have been the same. Any man would have been pretty darn mad if that stuff was said to him. Every single man on that inquest jury had the same feeling about it. They said it was murder and that Adam was the one who should be charged. Now I just ain't got no choice in the matter. You need to go get your lawyer over here fast as you can. Judge Walker ain't one to tarry when it comes to a serious case. He'll want to start this tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? That's not enough time to get ready for a serious case like this."

"Well unless your lawyer can come up with a reason to wait, Judge Walker has called for the case to start at ten tomorrow morning."

"Pa, maybe you and Joe ought to go see about that lawyer. I want to talk with Annie for a bit in private if that's all right with everyone."

"Adam, I can lock her in the cell with you. I'll close the door and the two of you can have some private time." Roy was assuming that Adam wanted to console his wife who looked thoroughly shaken by the experience, but Adam had a different agenda entirely.

"Sweetheart, I think I'm going to be convicted." As Annie was about to protest, Adam put his finger lightly on her lips. "Quiet for just a moment, please. I may not have much time to say this. Annie, if I'm convicted, I'm not staying here. I'll find a way to get away. I will not hang for something I didn't do."

"But where will you go? What will we do?"

"We'll work the details out if it comes to that. Now just tell Hoss that I said I would find a hole in the wall to hide. Please remember to say that."

"Adam, you talk as if this is all set. You get to have a trial. You'll have a lawyer. There must be a way to defend an innocent man against a charge like this."

"Annie, think about it. Whoever shot Buck Davis dressed like me for a reason. Someone set me up for this, and Buck paid the price. Talk to Maggie when you get back. She may have some ideas."

"You think you know who did this, don't you? You think the syndicate is reaching out for you because of what you did to destroy their plans."

"I am. And Annie, if I'm a target, then so are Maggie and Pa and perhaps even you. These men don't have any moral qualms about killing women. Please be careful and convince everyone in the family to be careful. This isn't going to stop with me."

"Adam, it's been six months. Why would they do this now?"

"They took some time for the remnants of the syndicate to regroup, and I would guess they have another plan, and the Ponderosa is still probably part of it."

"If you have to escape, where would I go to meet you?"

"I have friends in California, Arizona, and Mexico. I would probably choose one of those for you to go to so I could rendezvous with you at some point. I don't have any definite idea on that yet. First we have to see how the trial goes, and then I have to find a way to get away if it goes as badly as I suspect it will."

There was some commotion then in the outer office and a knock on the door. Adam called out to Roy that they were ready. Ben and Joe walked in with the family lawyer and another who was more skilled in criminal cases. Adam knew that his father and their lawyer knew just how bad things looked. They pulled some chairs and a bench to the area outside Adam's cell and began to talk strategy as Roy retreated to his office closing the door behind him. Clem came in to say the mood in town was ugly especially among the miners. Roy sent him out to hire two more deputies and tell them that they would all be on duty until dawn. It might be a long night for everyone.

Inside the cell area, the mood was just as negative. The lawyers had no idea how to defend this case other than to have Adam take to the stand to defend himself. But with six witnesses against him and others who would swear to the altercation in the saloon and with no alibi witnesses, his case looked bleak. Adam voiced his theory about the syndicate, and everyone hoped that Hoss could find the old prospector for it would at least create a little doubt as to Adam's guilt. It was a very serious group as they broke for the night with the lawyers planning to get up early in the morning to see what they could come up with for a defense. Ben grasped his son's shoulder as Adam leaned against the bars to say goodbye. Joe mumbled a goodbye as well.

Then it was time for Adam to say good night to his wife and he couldn't get any words out. Annie was in the same position. They held each other and silently communicated their love. Adam feared that it might be the last time he got to hug his wife but would never say such a thing to her, but Annie was feeling the same fear.

"You have to go now. Tell Andrew I love him and give him a hug for me." Annie couldn't speak. Adam called out for Roy to open the cell, and reluctantly, Annie left. Ben and Joe were waiting for her outside. The three of them rode home.

The next morning, there was more bad news. Hoss returned after having lost the prospector's trail on the road. There was no telling where he was. All of them poked at their breakfasts and then dressed for the ride to town. Hoss and Joe went to the stable to get the carriage ready and saddle a couple of horses because everyone wanted to be there. Hop Sing was going to watch over Andrew who enjoyed the cook's company. Maggie had been told of Adam's suspicions but she had no ideas on how to proceed. She planned to send some telegrams as soon as she got to town, but they all knew that any help was likely to arrive too late to do any good.

In the stable, Joe kicked a pail, a bale of hay, and some loose tack. Hoss looked at him wondering what the temper was all about. He himself was very depressed, but he knew anger could develop at any time because of what was happening to Adam. He just wondered why Joe was already so upset.

"Because things just couldn't get much worse, now could they? Adam is sitting in jail framed up for a murder and you know what could happen in the next day or two. Martha went back to Denver, and I haven't heard a word from her even though I sent three letters already. Some criminals are out there plotting against the Ponderosa and Maggie and Pa might be in danger, and maybe even Annie. And we still don't know who's behind any of it, and we don't know what they're planning."

Hoss noted how Martha's absence was right in there with all the other problems they were facing. Joe had been more emotionally involved with Martha than he wanted to admit. When she said she needed to go back to Denver to take care of a few things, Joe had been very upset which had led to Martha being upset. The two had not parted on good terms, but Joe realized his mistakes quickly and had written an apology and then two more letters but there had been no response from Martha. Now with all the turmoil surrounding Adam and the possibility of some severe consequences that Hoss didn't even want to think about, Joe was very upset.

"Joe, I gotta tell ya something. No matter what happens, Adam ain't gonna hang. I won't allow it."

"What are you gonna do? Break him out of jail?" When Hoss didn't answer, Joe knew. "You might need some help, and you better ask me when you need it or I'll kick your butt all the way to town and back."

"Ifn I need you, I'll ask. For now we can pray it don't come to that because it might tear our family apart and it could cost us the Ponderosa, but our brother is not gonna hang for something he didn't do."

Nodding, Joe picked up the harness and began preparing to hitch up the carriage for the ladies and their father. He and Hoss would ride their horses into town. At least now he felt they had a plan. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was some hope in an otherwise hopeless situation.

Chapter 4

There were dark circles under Adam's eyes and he looked haggard, but at least he was cleanly shaved and in clean clothing when Annie walked in to see him in the morning. The rest of the family gave the couple about ten minutes of private time before they all moved into the cell area to discuss their plan of action with the lawyers. All the lawyers could hope for was a one day delay, and would approach the judge on that first. If that was denied, their only hope was that Adam could take the stand and be convincing to at least create some doubt as to his guilt. Without that, there was no hope of an acquittal. That plan lasted as long as it took to get to the courtroom and ask. Without a solid reason to support the delay, Judge Walker was not inclined to grant a delay. He had a lot of cases to move onto the next week in small towns near Virginia City. So the prosecution began its case by bringing the miners in to testify as to the nature of the conversation in the saloon.

All night long, Adam had dreaded this part of the trial but knew there was no way to avoid it. He had hoped someone could keep Annie from the courtroom but knew that was a futile hope as well. The miners testified to the comments about Adam and Annie having only one child and that Adam might not be the father of Annie's child. Every man on the jury saw Annie's tears as they wet her cheeks and knew they would have defended their wives' honor as well as their own in similar circumstances. No one begrudged Adam the fight, but that also meant they accepted the prosecution's premise that the comments created the anger that led to the shooting. Adam's head was bowed for he knew the pain his wife was suffering and knew that would be the case. When he turned to look at her sitting behind him though, she smiled at him. He knew then that at least the fight in the saloon was forgiven even if it had cost Annie pain to get to that point.

Next up were the Davis family members with Mrs. Davis and her oldest son testifying that they saw Adam next to the tree after Buck was shot down. The judge asked is all four of the other children were going to say the same thing, and had them sworn all at once to save time. The trial broke for lunch then, and the case against Adam looked solid.

It was a somber group that gathered at the jail to eat although hardly anyone could get more than a bite or two down. Lots of coffee sufficed to assuage their appetites. The two lawyers looked to Adam and told him it was all up to him now. His testimony was the only way to put a crack in the prosecution case. The men on the jury knew him. If he could convince at least some of them that he was telling the truth and being framed, then perhaps they could hope the jury would not find him guilty. Adam took the stand after lunch.

"I have killed men, yes, but I would never kill a man from ambush. I have only shot at men and sometimes wounded or killed them to protect myself or others. Buck and I settled our differences just the way any man here would have. It was over especially after the comments I received when I got home about brawling in a saloon." That brought a chuckle or two from the jury as well as the gallery. Asked where he had been when Buck Davis was shot down, Adam answered that he had been riding fence and only saw a Paiute hunting party, and an old prospector he had run off the property. Unable to find the old prospector, Adam had no witnesses for his alibi.

Once the closing arguments concluded, it was nearly five and the judge adjourned for dinner. The jury was out for hours after dinner, and then adjourned until the next morning. Adam's lawyers were hopeful that meant the jury was divided, but the next morning, all that they got was that the jury found him guilty. The judge said he would take the matter under consideration, and adjourned the case until Monday morning because he said he would never sentence a man late on a Saturday. What almost everyone took that to mean was that he was going to sentence Adam to hang and would not force him to wait all day Sunday until Monday for the sentence to be carried out.

Annie burst into tears as Adam was led away in chains by Clem with the assistance of the other deputies. The crowd outside was surly with a lot of miners there who had hoped that Adam would already be sentenced to hang. Clem didn't put up with anything and got Adam to the jail safely. Roy stood by Ben to offer his condolences but no one in the family was in the mood to accept any. Once the street began to clear, the family headed over to the jail to see Adam. Roy turned to Judge Walker.

"You know this case stinks to high heaven, now dontcha?"

"I know it does, Roy. I've known these Cartwrights for a long time. I saw Adam grow from a boy to a man, and I know he would never have done this. Whoever set this up is a master at it, and I have to think it's not the first time they've done something like this."

"What can we do about it?"

"Not a lot, I'm afraid. I have to rule according to law. I wish I could sentence him to a life term but in a case of premeditated murder like this, it would be inappropriate. I hate what I'm going to have to do on Monday."

"The way they framed him up, he wouldn't last long in prison. It wouldn't take them long to find somebody to finish the job they started here."

"I know, Roy, but we're bound by the law. I wish there was another way, but I can't think of a darn thing I can do."

"Somebody has to poke a hole in this case somehow, or I'm afraid there's no way to save Adam. I wish someone could find that prospector he described. It may be his only hope now."

At the jail, Adam had some instructions for the lawyers. He wanted everything in Annie's name with Hoss as her legal partner if a man's signature was required on any document. He told both lawyers that he wanted them to expedite the transfer of property to Annie and signed a statement witnessed by Roy that he was giving permission with no coercion and was of a sound mind to do so. Then he asked for some private time with his wife which everyone was glad to give him even though all of them wanted to spend as much time with him as they could. Maggie got return messages to her telegrams and could offer little hope.

"An investigation has been started, and will tie into the investigation that is still trying to find the people who were at the head of the syndicate. The lower level people are mostly in custody, and people who were bought are retired or resigned. But we still need to find the rest of the syndicate especially now that it appears they are beginning another plan. But investigations like this take time, and we don't have much of that, do we?"

"Maggie, what about our telegram to the governor to set aside the verdict and get a new trial?"

"Papa, they said no. They would grant us a stay but nothing more."

Ben looked at the lawyers. They nodded and went to get the stay approved. All they could hope to do was get time after the sentencing and delay the carrying out of that sentence which they feared would be a sentence of death by hanging. They were not aware of the judge's concerns with the case. The judge had sent off his own inquiries asking what the legal limitations were on his sentencing powers in this case. He hoped to have his answer by Monday morning. Roy sat slouched at his desk. He was miserable as all he could do was unlock Adam's cell to let his wife in or out. Michele and Maggie went to get some dinner for everyone. Hoss and Joe were feeling powerless so when Hoss suggested they make one more attempt to find that old prospector, Joe nearly jumped to his feet. The two headed out immediately telling the ladies what they were doing before they left. Ben said a silent prayer that they might be successful. The group had a very quiet dinner with each lost in their own thoughts.

In the cell, Adam and Annie were no longer talking. They had eaten their dinners and had said everything that needed to be said. They had made some plans but were not going to tell anyone what they were. Adam held Annie close to him trying to memorize how it felt to hold her and how her body touched his. He inhaled the scent of her and let the warmth of her seep into him. He kissed her a number of times but it wasn't an amorous type of kiss. The kisses were gentle but sensuous. They might not see each other for a very long time, but neither even wanted to acknowledge that it might be never. Finally it was time to say goodnight but there weren't any words, and if there had been, Annie would just have cried anyway. She preferred to hug and then slowly let his hand drop as she left the room without looking back. She couldn't bear to have the picture of Adam standing behind bars be the last view she would remember. She left quickly as Ben walked to the back to say goodbye. Michele and Maggie went with him.

When Adam said goodnight to his father, he told him that he needed to trust Annie, and to know that whatever she did, it was in Adam's best interest. Ben wanted so much to ask questions. He felt left out now that Adam's confidante was his wife. He wondered too why Adam had made Hoss the cosigner with Annie. Adam always had a reason for doing things, but Ben was puzzled by that one.

"Pa, sometimes it's better not to know things. Just trust us on this one, please."

"Adam, I always trust you, but sometimes I don't agree with what you do. Please can you tell me that you aren't going to do anything illegal?"

"Pa, it's better if I don't answer that question. Now please keep my wife and son safe. Once they've got me out of the way, I think that you, Maggie, and Annie are going to be targets. Please be very careful. And don't let anyone go anywhere alone. Where are Hoss and Joe?"

"Trying to find that old prospector. They'll scour every camp in that area and every stream until they find him or have to admit he's moved on. They have until Monday morning."

"To find a needle in a haystack. I've given up any hope that they'll find him."

"Adam, don't give up hope. It's all we have sometimes. Once the lawyers get the stay, we can keep working on it. I'll hire detectives on Monday morning and get them working on your case. There has to be something we can find to poke a hole in this. I just wish I knew why the Davis family was so sure it was you, but we've been ordered by the judge to stay away from them. Apparently they are staying with friends so we don't even know where they are anyway."

"The stay won't do much good. Whoever set this up did a great job of framing me. If we don't get to the bottom of this, there isn't much hope, and Maggie must have told you how long an investigation could take to uncover the truth. I don't think I'm going to be given that time."

"All we can do is hope and pray that we can get a break. All we need is one thing to get the judge to declare a mistrial and grant you another trial."

"I'll try to hope and pray, but I don't think it's going to be enough. Now take care of Annie and Andrew, please. Try to get everyone to get some rest. I have a feeling it's going to be a rough week."

With his head downcast, Ben said goodnight and went to escort the ladies home. They stopped at Adam's house so that Annie could collect some clothing for her and Andrew. They were going to move into the guest room in the main house. No one found it easy to fall asleep that night. Andrew was fussy and didn't want to leave his mother's side. Apparently he could sense the sadness and worry from everyone no matter how much they tried to hide it. In the early morning hours, everyone finally fell into a fitful slumber only to be awakened just after dawn by a pounding on the front door. When Ben got downstairs to unlock the door, he found Roy there with a couple of deputies.

"Roy, what are you doing here? Haven't we had enough trouble?"

"Adam escaped. Now Ben, ya gotta tell me. Is he here?"

Chapter 5

Standing at the door of the guest room holding a groggy Andrew in her arms, Annie had to grin. Adam had said he would and he did. Now they would have to try to do all the other things he had asked her to accomplish. She wished that Hoss was home so she could give him the message from Adam, but it would have to wait. Adam had said that only Hoss would understand the message. She listened as Roy grilled Ben on the whereabouts of Joe and Hoss. Ben suddenly understood why Adam had said it was better for him not to know anything. He could stand there and tell that to Roy and swear on a Bible that he was telling the truth because he was. Annie could not be compelled to testify against her husband, and Joe and Hoss weren't even around when Adam escaped. None of them could be held accountable for what Adam had done. He was a fugitive now though, and wanted as a convicted murderer. He was far from safe, but he was free. She listened as Roy explained what had happened.

"Well Adam was sitting on his cot looking all sad and almost sick, I guess. According to my deputies, he was all bent over and had his arms wrapped around himself like he was real cold. My deputies asked if he needed anything, and he said a pistol to put a hole in his head. Now they thought he was really depressed so they decided to get him something to drink and eat and an extra blanket thinking maybe that would help. When they opened that cell door with their hands full, he pulled a pistol on em. Now according to them, it was a small caliber handgun, but you know at that distance, it could still do a lot of damage, and everyone knows how well he can shoot. Well it was just before the sun came up, and I was walking to the office and I saw Adam run out and jump on a horse. I yelled for him to stop, and he looked at me and said pretty as you please, 'Roy, you won't shoot me.' Well then he wheeled that horse around to ride out of town."

"Roy, you didn't shoot him, did you?"

"No, Ben, you know I didn't. He was right. I could never shoot him. Now those two deputies of mine fired some shots after him. He went down low against that horse's neck, and Ben, I don't rightly know if he was trying to avoid getting shot of if one of them deputies hit him with one or two of those shots. I told them to stop shooting, but they didn't hear me right away."

Annie gasped then. She had never expected Adam to be shot while escaping and just knew that is what had happened. Now it was even more critical that Hoss get the message. Adam likely was going to need his help desperately.

"Ben, I gotta go after him. It's my job. Now I know we're gonna have a tough time finding him unless Hoss would be willing to track for us so we can catch up to him and get him back safely before those miners catch up to him."

"Get him back safely so he can hang? Roy, you know Hoss would never do that. Besides, Joe and Hoss haven't come back from looking for that prospector. I expect to see them sometime today. And what do you mean the miners catching up to him?"

"Well, I told them not to, but those miners got together their own posse and they're trying to find Adam too. Now none of them are much on horseback and certainly not any good tracking, but Ben, if they find him, I don't think they plan to bring him back."

"Roy, I don't know what to say. He isn't here, and I can't help you find him either, but, as God is my witness, I want him to be safe."

"Well, I gotta get on with my job. If I find out anything or if we find him, I'll send word."

"Thank you, Roy. I'll be here."

Shaken, Ben turned from the door as Roy left. Annie, Maggie, and Michele stood there next to Hop Sing. All were extremely worried. Annie had done as requested and wondered now if it had been enough. She had gone out late at night with Sport fully packed with things that Adam might need and had left the horse at the line shack closest to town. Adam intended to switch from whatever horse he could steal to Sport and then ride to the location that only Hoss knew. But if he was wounded, she worried if he could make the trek that far. Annie knew he meant to get across the California line so that the posse couldn't follow, but now there was a group of miners chasing him too who wouldn't stop at the border. She took Andrew back into the bedroom to see if he would sleep a bit more, and Hop Sing prepared breakfast as everyone dressed for the day.

Later at the breakfast table, no one wanted to ask Annie what she knew for if questioned, they would have to tell the truth. All they could do was offer prayers that Adam was safe and uninjured. That part of their wish was not true though. Adam had been hit as he rode away. The bullet was lodged in his back and had struck his left shoulder blade. He was bleeding a lot and when he released the stolen horse, he had seen that the saddle was wet with his blood. When he was at the line shack, he shoved some cloth inside the back of his shirt and pulled his jacket on to hold it tight to his back, but he had no time to rest. He immediately rode west heading for the high country. The pain was excruciating as every step of the horse jarred his shoulder blade that was cracked if not broken. His life depended on making steady progress so he kept going all day and well into the night. He had to stop to rest. He had far outdistanced the posse that had no real idea where he was going, but he still had many miles to go to reach his planned hideout. He could only hope that Hoss would be there before he lost too much blood or developed a severe infection. He ground tied Sport and rested against a rock until there was enough light in the early morning to continue his flight. Later that day, the posse found the blood on the rock where he had rested.

"Sheriff Coffee, he's headed to California, and as dry as this blood is, he's well ahead of us. We'll never catch him up here."

"Clem, I think you're right. Let's head back to town. No need to keep going on a fool's errand." Roy turned his horse back toward Virginia City, and sent a silent prayer up that Adam would survive the climb into those mountains. It looked like some bad weather coming in too, so any tracks would soon be lost, but that also meant to him that Adam's odds of making it had gotten worse.

Miles ahead and nearing the California border, Adam wasn't sure he was going to make it to his destination. The air was cold but everything seemed to be shimmering like desert mirages. He knew his vision had been affected by his fever and hoped he would find the tunnel with all the problems he was having. He was swaying in the saddle and hanging on to the saddle horn to keep his seat. Pain made him sit stiffly which didn't help at all. When he finally saw the brush that covered the mouth of the tunnel entrance, he almost cried with relief. Sport had been here before and knew the way so he had to just point him in the right direction. Rain drops had been hitting them for the previous hour and it would soon be a deluge by the looks of the clouds. He hoped to be inside before it got that bad. He was still lucid enough to know that the rain would obliterate his tracks, and no one would be able to follow him.

Behind Adam and still on his trail, the miners knew it too. They had followed the posse at a distance because no one among the miners could track very well. When the posse turned back and the miners saw the rock with all the blood dried on it, they thought they must be close, but with the rain, it had become a hopeless quest. As soon as the rain began falling heavily, they gave up and turned their horses back toward town. For Dolan, it was the best decision they could make. He couldn't join Roy's posse and risk being recognized so in his nondescript clothing, he had claimed to be a miner and headed out with the miners who wanted revenge. Now those men who were mostly inept with a gun were turning back and Dolan was close to his quarry. He wasn't too worried about the rain. It would wipe out tracks but to him it was clear that Cartwright was heading toward California. If he followed that route, Dolan would likely pick up Adam's tracks again and perhaps even sight him up ahead. Bleeding that much, Dolan assumed he couldn't be traveling fast and would likely be fighting infection and fever as well. He smiled thinking this part of his job was nearly done. He had his slicker on and looked for a stand of trees for some shelter.

In the tunnel, Adam had unsaddled Sport although it took almost the last of his strength to do it. The cave or tunnel opened into a closed canyon on the other end. There was grass and water there. For now, both of them stayed inside where it was dry. Adam pulled out his bedroll and sank down on it gratefully pulling a blanket over himself and sending up a prayer that Hoss might be there before it was too late.

On the Ponderosa, Hoss was already headed toward him as fast as he could go. He knew the shortest route to Adam's destination. The two of them had found the tunnel during a hunting trip. It had appeared that even the Native American peoples had never seen it for there was no sign of human habitation. Brush nearly covered the entrance and the opening to the tunnel was small. Inside it was wide and the rock was solid. As soon as Annie gave him Adam's message that he was going to go to a hole in the wall, Hoss had known where he was headed. Now heading cross country, he hoped to be there by nightfall. Adam had already spent one night out in the elements, and Hoss was afraid because Roy had told his family that he didn't know if his deputies had hit Adam with one or more of their shots. The way Adam's luck had been running, Hoss was worried that it was the worst case scenario. He had everything along to take care of him as long as he was still alive. Hop Sing had seen to that having a bag packed with essentials before he and Joe had returned empty handed from their search for the old prospector. He had food, clothing, and money for his brother. He prayed as he rode. When the rain started to fall heavily, he kept riding. He knew this country well and rain wasn't going to slow him down unless it got so heavy he couldn't see. Just before sundown, the rain let up. Hoss guessed he was no more than two miles from his destination. He smelled whiffs of wood smoke and wondered who else could be up here so high in the mountains, but he didn't have time to search out the camp. He needed to get to Adam and when he did, he was shocked. Adam was laying on his bedroll shivering with his face shiny with sweat. He heard Hoss enter and forced a small smile. Hoss knelt at his side knowing he had correctly anticipated the trouble they would be in. Adam had a bullet in him that had to come out and was already suffering from a high fever that was probably the result of infection. He pulled out the bag Hop Sing had given him, started a small fire to heat water, and prepared to do what had to be done.

Up on a hill only a half-mile away, Dolan sat on his horse and waited. For him, it had been the best of luck to see Hoss Cartwright ride through the terrain and head into the side of the mountain. Dolan knew then that he would never have seen that entrance and would likely have passed right on by on his way to California. Instead, he now had Adam trapped, and only needed to come up with a plan to kill him, and as a bonus, kill his brother Hoss too.

Chapter 6

"Oh, Lordy, Adam, this is gonna be a mess. You bite down hard on that piece of leather cause I gotta pry that bullet loose, and I know it's gonna hurt something fierce."

Hoss had removed Adam's jacket, shirt, and the wad of cloth soaked with his blood. He had probed into the wound causing Adam to writhe in pain and groan even though Hoss knew he was holding back as much as he could. Then when Hoss had opened the wound enough to find the bullet, he realized it was stuck in the bone so it was no wonder that Adam was suffering so. Hoss wished he had some other tool but all he had was a knife so he would have to pry the bullet loose instead of pulling it out. He put his knee on Adam's lower back and his left arm across Adam's shoulders. Pressing him down into the bedroll, Hoss began the task of removing the bullet and didn't stop even as Adam spit out the piece of leather and screamed and yelled for him to do just that. Hoss had sweat running down his face and into his eyes but he couldn't stop. He didn't know if he had the courage to do this again. It had to work this first time.

Finally Hoss had the bullet out and pulled away from his brother to wash his hands and get some clean cloth to press against the wound. Adam was making almost a whimpering sound as the waves of pain washed over him. Hoss wished that he had brought some laudanum, but they had not had any to send. To stop the bleeding, he pressed the wad of cloth down on the wound causing Adam to jerk and groan again. Finally and mercifully, Adam lost consciousness from the pain, the blood loss, and the exhaustion. Hoss rather wished he could join him in that state for he now understood the agony that Adam had suffered when he had to remove that bullet in Joe after accidentally shooting him. Hoss' hands were shaking even though he had them pressed to the wad of cloth over the wound. It took a long time for his heartbeat to slow down. For a long time it seemed, he had trouble breathing and felt lightheaded. Gradually Hoss felt close to normal again, but he didn't think that this memory could ever be buried deep enough. Once the bleeding slowed sufficiently, Hoss tied a bandage around Adam's chest and shoulder to hold the wad of cloth in place over the wound. Then he did his best to clean Adam up and sponge him with cloths soaked in cool water. The next day would be crucial in fighting the infection and the fever. He had plenty of food along and began cooking up some beef to make a thick broth just the way Hop Sing had instructed him. Somehow Hop Sing had sensed that all of the things he sent would be needed. Hoss didn't know how he always knew these things but was so grateful he had.

Once Adam seemed to be resting comfortably, Hoss saw to the horses letting them roam free in the little enclosed canyon. He filled the canteen and the coffee pot with cool water and headed back into the tunnel. He sensed something wasn't right almost immediately, and when he heard a pistol cock, he knew what it was. They were no longer alone.

"I should just shoot both of you and be done with it, but I'm kinda hungry so you get a few more minutes. Set that down by the fire and put your pistol down when you do it. Now move back and sit against the wall." Dolan had watched from the tunnel entrance, and Hoss had been so engrossed in what he had to do that his senses had failed him.

"As long as you're eating our food, maybe you could tell me what this is all about. You must have been the one to frame Adam, but why? Is revenge so important to you that you would risk your life coming back here?"

"You talk a lot, big man, but as long as I'm eating your food, I got time to tell you. Daniel Lash hired me. He holds a lot against the Cartwrights, but he has bigger plans for the Ponderosa and the railroads. He means to put a line right through the ranch and haul all that timber to California. He'll use hydraulic mining on the slopes then and free up all that gold and silver you Cartwrights have been sitting on. Now I was supposed to get rid of him first as a warning, but Lash and the others will hardly object to another Cartwright getting removed. Then I'll shoot your pappy and your pretty little wife. She won't be happy anyway when she realizes you're dead." Dolan's overconfidence and his desire to erase his humiliation from his earlier encounters with the Cartwrights caused him to talk too much.

With what Dolan had said so far, Hoss wanted to jump up and throttle Dolan, but he had to keep a lid on his temper. He had seen Adam open his eyes and blink in a rhythm at him. He knew Adam intended to do something, and Hoss had to be ready so he continued engaging Dolan in conversation. Dolan had not realized yet that Adam was awake for he was facing Hoss and not Dolan. "Who are the others?"

"Well the most obvious, wouldn't you think? I would have thought you would have worked that out by now: his partners in the railroad and his sons although Lash is the power behind all of them. They controlled everyone else in that syndicate. They're the real bosses. Everyone else was told what to do."

"Why come after us now?"

"Well all that trouble you made along with that pretty wife of yours has forced them to scale back their plans for now so they decided to take the Ponderosa first and use those resources to rebuild. They know they got a traitor in their organization too, and they're trying to flush him out. Different people have been getting different information. When the government makes a move based on the information they get, then they'll know who the government plant is. Now enough talk."

Dolan raised his arm to fire at Hoss but Adam suddenly jerked his body kicking his legs through the fire and showering sparks, ash, and hot water on Dolan. It was all that Hoss needed to get his pistol and fire. Dolan wouldn't be making threats ever again. As soon as Hoss determined that Dolan was dead, he tended to Adam despite the ringing in his ears.

"Now look what ya done. You tore open that wound again and got ya some burns on your leg. Now what am I gonna do with you. You're just the most difficult patient I ever had." Hoss had a light teasing tone in his voice as he slowly slid Adam back on his bedroll and then redid the bandage on his back. He cleaned the slight burns on Adam's leg and put salve on them. "There now, those ain't gonna hurt you no more than a bit of sunburn. You just had to do it, now, didn't you? I come all the way here to save your life, and you gotta turn right around and save mine. You can never let me be the one in charge, now can ya?"

Grimacing with the pain, Adam couldn't say much but grabbed Hoss' hand and squeezed.

"I know. I was just teasing ya a bit. Pa always said that ifn there was humor, then the person was gonna get better cause nobody would joke ifn a man was dying."

Squeezing Hoss' hand once more, Adam let him know how much he was appreciated.

"Now if you're gonna be all right for a bit, I got some trash to move outta here."

Adam held onto his hand and tried to talk so Hoss leaned close to hear what he had to say. "Put him in my shirt and jacket. By the time somebody finds him, they might think it's me."

"You're always thinking, aren't ya? I'll drag him far enough away so critters aren't drawn to us here and put him closer to the road. Somebody might see some buzzards and check to see what they're interested in. I'll be back in a bit. You just rest easy now." Hoss pulled Dolan's shirt off of him and threw it in the fire. Then he grabbed Adam's bloody shirt and his jacket quickly putting them on Dolan's body before dragging him from the tunnel. About a half hour later, Hoss was back. "Now I think I was getting you some lunch when this all happened. I need to go get some water again. You keep this pistol with you. Anybody coming in that opening is not probably a friend of ours."

There were no more visitors. Hoss was relieved that Adam was able to eat some thick broth and then sleep. His fever was still there but didn't seem to be getting any worse. People with wounds just naturally had some fever so Hoss hoped that's all it was, and that removing the bullet and cleaning out the wound had taken care of the infection issue.

In Virginia City, Annie had gone into town with Ben. She met with the attorneys and began liquidating many of Adam's investments as he had instructed her. Roy came to the lawyers' office to tell them the bad news. Adam had been sentenced in absentia and the sentence was hanging. His escape had pushed the judge to handing down the harshest sentence for he no longer thought that Adam was innocent, and he had also authorized a reward for Adam's capture. Roy expressed those doubts and never got to say anything more as Annie unleashed her temper on him.

"You've known Adam since he was a boy. I've only known him a few years, but I know he could never have done such a thing, and you ought to know it too or don't call him your friend. He's out there now as a hunted man because you and the law failed him. He hasn't hurt anyone. He took a horse but released it so he's not even guilty of that. You can tell that judge to go to hell. Adam will never return here to be hanged for something he didn't do. I'll be leaving here too as soon as I can get the money together to do that."

It was the first that Ben had heard that Annie and Andrew would be leaving. He was shocked but guessed he shouldn't have been. If Adam left, Annie was going to follow, and she would never leave her son behind. He hoped to convince her not to leave too soon, but had no doubt that she and Adam had worked this all out before he left. Adam had left a coded message for Hoss as well. The three of them were in the middle of this, but Annie could not be forced to testify against her husband. Hoss could be in a lot of trouble though when he got back if they could prove that he had helped Adam. After Roy left, Ben sat back and watched Annie. He remembered when he had first met her. She had been quite a feisty woman and that's what had seemed to attract Adam more than anything. Now she had that look again with her chin in the air almost daring anyone to say anything. As soon as they left the lawyers' offices, Annie asked Ben to help her get accounts set up at the bank so that money could be transferred to San Francisco or any other major city. As they drove back to the ranch, Annie told Ben that she was going to visit friends of Adam in Stockton, California, and if the case wasn't resolved, she would continue on to San Francisco to take a ship to meet Adam.

"Where will you meet him?"

"Papa, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. It's the same reason that Adam didn't tell you anything. If you're questioned, you would have to tell the truth or end up in jail. I'm the only one who knows. Hoss doesn't know anything either except when I told him the location that Adam was going to use to hide out for a bit. I'll be in California trying to contact people to help him. He'll be in California too at some point somewhere but I won't tell you these things, and I hope you understand."

"I do understand, but I'm not comfortable with Adam ignoring the law like this. He lectured me on more than one occasion in the past to go to the law and trust it, but he isn't doing that now, and it's convincing a lot of people that he's guilty."

"Would you rather see your son hang for his principles? He knows that sometimes the law is only as good as the men who make it, and in this case, it's rotten at the core, and you know it."

"Don't get me wrong, I understand why he's done what he's done. I just wish there was another way."

That evening, Annie informed the family that she would be leaving by the end of the following week. She went to her home to start packing what she wanted to take with her and what she would ship. The rest could stay. She told Maggie that if she and Adam were not back in a few months, she and Hoss should move into the house that Adam had built.

"Oh, Annie, we couldn't do that. It would be like saying that you and Adam were never coming back."

"Maggie, it is, but if this isn't settled, we won't be back. We have plans to keep our family safe, and if the law here can't do it, then we're going somewhere else."

"You're planning to leave the country, aren't you? No, no, don't tell me. Deniability is important in situations like this. If I don't know, I can't tell anyone. But Annie, know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and Adam wherever you go."

Annie and Maggie hugged, but Annie was very worried. Hoss wasn't back, and he had gone because they thought Adam might be hurt. The longer it took for Hoss to get back, the more she thought it likely that one of those bullets had found its mark. She knew that sleeping was going to be a difficult thing. Andrew was already out of sorts sensing how unhappy she was. She knew that things were likely to get even more difficult before they got better. After three more days of waiting like that, she thought she would ride out herself to go to Adam except she had no idea where this hiding place of his was. Instead she went to town to send the messages Adam had told her to send when she was ready to travel. She bought stagecoach tickets and arranged for some freight to be shipped when she called for it. Roy came over to the telegraph office after Annie left.

"Where is she sending messages?"

"Now Roy those are private."

"And I'm the sheriff and I'm looking for her husband. Where did she send the messages?"

"Stockton, California. To a family named Blake there. She told them she was coming and needed help."

Chapter 7

There were three words that Annie hated to say and she would have to use them now. Slowly, Annie began sharing her immediate plans with her family. She knew that Roy probably knew she was going to the Blake ranch near Stockton. Adam had met Dave Blake years earlier, and they shared a lot of interests. He had not seen him recently, but both had pledged to help the other if it was ever needed. Now Annie would have to say goodbye. She would have to say that someday she still had hope that they would be able to return. But she also had to admit that it might be impossible unless things started to change rather dramatically. Goodbye, hope, and impossible were three words that sounded depressing to Annie's way of thinking.

"I'll go with you, Annie. No doubt Hoss is taking care of Adam, so it's only right that I help you. Adam would never forgive me if anything happened to you." Joe's tone of voice and look did not allow for Annie to say no so she nodded yes and frankly was grateful not to have to do this alone. If it was just her, she would not have been worried, but with Andrew, she was much more concerned. Jeremy had already said he would help if he could, but Joe was definitely better with a gun and more suspicious by nature. He would make a better traveling companion than her brother.

"Thank you, Joe. You're a wonderful brother. We'll be leaving in a few days whether Hoss is back or not. Is that all right with you?"

"I'll follow your lead. I know you can't tell me anything, but all you have to do is ask, and I'll do what needs to be done. Adam and I butted heads on more than one occasion, but I love my brother as much as anyone can, and I'll do what it takes to keep you and him safe."

Several days later, Annie and Joe packed up for travel. Ben didn't ask anything about her specific plans for he knew Annie wouldn't tell him anything anyway, but he was very worried. Hoss was still not back although, as Annie had pointed out, that was kind of news of a sort. If anything really tragic had happened, Hoss would be back, and if it was minor, Hoss would be back. So the conclusion was that it was serious but Hoss could take care of it. They all prayed that was the case. They were exactly correct of course but had no way of knowing that.

In the tunnel where Hoss had cared for Adam for days, the two brothers were parting company. Adam could take care of his basic needs, and if no one had found the tunnel by now, they weren't looking any more. Adam planned to spend another week there and then head to California to see Annie if he could and to find out more about the conspiracy against them. Hoss had advised Adam to lay low and let the investigation proceed, but Adam was too worried about Annie's safety at that point.

"You take care, now, and don't try to ride out of here until that week is up. If there's anything you should know, I'll find my way back here without being followed. Now are you sure there's nothing you need right now?"

"I'm past the stage for needing laudanum, there's enough food, and Sport is happy in his private pasture. I'll be fine."

Reaching out, Hoss enveloped Adam in a big hug. He wasn't sure when or if he would ever see him again the way things had been going and had to do it even if it made Adam uncomfortable. Having drawn the same conclusions, Adam hugged back however even if it was limited by his injury. Then they said goodbye, and Hoss headed for home.

Hoss ended up going by a circuitous route though. Almost halfway home, he spotted a miner's camp on the Ponderosa and what looked like a primitive sluice box. He headed there to run the prospector off the land and was amazed to see a buffalo robe piled on top of supplies. He got down from his horse and walked to the stream where the sounds of rushing water had covered his approach.

"Old timer, I'm glad to see ya."

"What? What! Oh, gosh, I was afraid you was one of them Cartwrights. One of em already done run me off of the Ponderosa, but you know they got a lot of gold here, and I just want a little of it. Didn't find any yet, but, but I know I will."

"Yessiree, you will find most certainly find some gold. Ifn you ride back into Virginia City with me and tell the Sheriff about that Cartwright running you off the ranch, then I will make sure you get yourself a good handful of gold coins."

"Why, why would I want to do that? And, and why would you give me money for telling the sheriff I was trespassing? Not, not that I want to do that of course."

"Because the Cartwright that run you off the ranch is my brother, and he needs you to tell people where he was on that afternoon. Don't you worry none about the trespassing. That's all forgiven, then and now."

"Then, then you must be one of them Cartwrights. Why, why should I trust you?"

"Have I done anything threatening to ya? My brother is in a lot of trouble and you could help a lot. Now you coming along peacefully, or do I have to tie you down on the back of your mule?"

"I'm, I'm coming. I don't want no trouble now, no trouble. I'll go with you, I will, I will."

By the afternoon, Hoss and the old prospector were in town, and the old man gave his story to Sheriff Coffee and then repeated it in front of the judge.

"There, ya said you needed an alibi witness for Adam, and there he is. Now can we get all this foolishness about my brother taken care of?"

"It's not enough." The judge actually looked disappointed when he said it for he was.

"What do you mean it's not enough? He done told you that Adam was on the Ponderosa that afternoon. Now my brother is capable of a lot of amazing things but he can't be in two places at once."

"Mr. Cartwright, it would have probably helped your brother's case with the jury, but for me, I have six members of the Davis family who say it was Adam, and one man here, with less than a healthy respect for the law apparently, who claims he saw Adam that afternoon. The preponderance of the evidence still supports the conviction. I cannot overturn it simply on this man's word."

"Adam is right. He said the law in this case is rotten, and he didn't have no choice but to escape. Ifn he hadn't, I woulda helped him because there ain't nobody here it seems who's willing to help us."

"Now, Mr. Cartwright, I have no doubt that you have been with your brother since he escaped, but please for your sake, don't say any more and implicate yourself in the aiding of a fugitive. I would very much hate having to put you in jail too."

"You don't know nothing. I coulda been out looking for this old prospector this whole time, unless you want to railroad me too like what happened to Adam."

"Mr. Cartwright, I am going to ignore that outburst and not cite you for contempt, but one more word, and I may not have any choice."

Seeing Hoss ready to say that word, Roy put a hand on his arm and one on his mouth. "Hoss, we can't help Adam if you're in jail. Your family doesn't need any more trouble either. Now let's go."

Outside, Hoss walked the old prospector to the bank and got him a handful of gold coins that he said he would get once he signed a written statement with the sheriff. The old prospector asked why, and Hoss told him they might need it in the future if they were able to get more evidence to support Adam's innocence. Within an hour, Hoss was headed home with a mixed bag of news.

About that time, the stage passed within a half mile of where Adam was hiding but neither Joe nor Annie knew that. Each of them was lost in their own worries as they sat on the bench seat with Andrew sleeping between them. Joe had his hand across the little boy's ankles as his head rested on Annie's lap and she gently stroked his hair. Joe mentioned that Andrew took after his father on that one because Adam liked to sleep on a stage journey too. Annie gave a wistful little smile and wondered when she would see Adam next. She couldn't even let the thought that they might never be together again enter her mind.

On the Ponderosa, Hoss got a mixed bag of greetings although everyone was happy to see him. Maggie wrapped her arms around him or as far as she could reach, and didn't want to let go. She had been worried about Hoss and the trouble he could get in, but at the same time, she wanted him to help Adam. Ben, Michele, and Hop Sing greeted Hoss with relief as well because they had been worrying about the brothers, but if Hoss was back safely then Adam had to be all right too.

"Maggie, Dolan is dead. He's the one who framed Adam but we didn't get enough from him to work on that judge. He did say that Daniel Lash is the head of the syndicate and that they're aiming to take the Ponderosa for the timber and gold to finance rebuilding their syndicate to what it was. Maggie, he also said they know they got a spy in their group and they've been feeding different information to different men. Once the government acts against them, they'll know who the spy is. It's gotta be the man who helped you and Adam before, ain't it?"

"Oh, my, Hoss, I have to get to town to send a message. Can you help me saddle a horse?"

"You sure you should be riding in your condition?"

"Hoss, it's only six months. I can ride yet." Seeing his worried look, she amended her statement. "I'll take the carriage if you prefer."

"Yes, and ifn you wait, I could go with you."

"No, you're tired enough. I'll ask Candy to go with me. We'll be back in time for dinner." With that, Maggie was on her way. Once she left, Ben looked at Hoss.

"I want to see Adam."

"Pa, you know I can't do that. If Roy was to ask you where he is, you'd tell him."

"I want to see my son, and Roy and the law be damned. Too much has happened in the name of the law, and my innocent son is a fugitive, and my grandson is gone, and I don't know when or if I will ever see him again. I want to see Adam. Michele and I have talked. There is a higher power we're going to be judged by, and He would understand." Sitting at Ben's side, Michele was quiet but kept a hand on Ben's shoulder in reassurance.

"All right, Pa, we can go tomorrow. Now, Roy and the judge know I've been with Adam even if they can't prove it. We'll have to be real careful so we ain't followed. You got a plan for that?"

"No, but I'll have a plan by morning. Now, I bet you would like to get something to eat. Tell me all about what you and Adam have done the last few days. I know Dolan is dead. Which one of you had to do that?"

"Pa, I shot him. He was gonna kill both of us. I put Adam's shirt on him and his jacket. Maybe by the time somebody finds him, they'll think it's Adam. It would take some of the pressure off Adam if they thought he was dead."

"How is he? Was he shot?"

Nodding and grimacing, Hoss recalled those painful minutes when he had made Adam suffer so much. Knowing it was necessary didn't help either. "Pa, I ain't done nothing harder than that in my life. I will never forget how he cried out when I had to pry that bullet out." Hoss shuddered remembering what he had to do. Ben put his hand on Hoss' shoulder to reassure him that he had only done what was necessary. "He begged me to stop and he was just squirming with the pain. I had to kneel on his back and lean on his shoulders. It was like torturing him." Reaching to rub his neck, Hoss continued. "Just talking about it makes the hairs on my neck stand up and sweat's running down my back." Getting his composure back, Hoss talked very matter-of-fact. "Lucky that deputy was a ways away when he shot, or Adam might have died. The bullet hit his shoulder blade and stuck. He lost a lot of blood and it hurt him something awful. But he's all right now."

"He's still hiding in the same place?"

"Yeah, Pa, we found it one year when we were hunting. We were pretty young then, and we swore to keep it as our secret hideout. We've been back there a few times hunting over the years. It's got a narrow opening with brush growing up right beside it and all around. Once you get inside it opens up like a big hall with a wide opening to its own private canyon with a pool right smack dab in the middle of it. Adam was always talking about the special rock formation that it was, but I don't remember those terms he used."

"I'm just so thankful that you're both safe for now. I worry about what's going to happen next though."

"Pa, I found the old prospector."

"Well, where is he? Did you send him to town to tell everyone that Adam is innocent?"

"Pa, I took him there, but the judge says it ain't enough cause there are six people in the Davis family who say they saw Adam there."

"Well, that's just ridiculous. They should know that Adam is innocent."

"I reckon maybe they do, but I can see the sense of what they're saying. Six against one isn't too good."

By dinner, Maggie and Candy were back. Maggie had sent a coded message so that the undercover man could be warned. Over dinner, Hoss told Maggie that he was taking his father to see Adam. "We need a plan though because I think Roy and the judge know I was with Adam. They might be watching to see if I head out again. If they follow us and get Adam, he'll hang."

Maggie looked at the men and knew. "It's a fairly simple idea. Have two men dress like you and ride your horses. Have them lead a pack animal and head out at an angle to the direction you're really going. Wait at least an hour, and then dress differently and riding other horses maybe with a couple of other riders for a bit, and then when you're sure you're not being followed, split off and ride."

"I get the disguise and the last part, but why have them ride away at an angle? Why not have them ride out the opposite way?"

"Because too many people do exactly that. If there's any hint that there might be a decoy, whoever is watching will go the opposite way of the decoys."

"Maggie, have I told you how amazing you are?"

"Hoss, I believe you have. Now would you like to take a walk in the garden?"

Ben and Michele had to smile for they knew that euphemism. Candy did a fine interpretation of an Adam smirk. They had all used that line at one time or another. At dawn the next morning, the subterfuge worked well. The two men Roy had sent to trail Hoss followed the decoys away from the ranch house. Just over an hour later, Hoss and Ben left although it hardly looked like them. They had borrowed clothing from men in the bunkhouse although Hoss had to wear one of his better shirts to get a color not usually associated with him. By midday they approached the tunnel where Adam was hiding. Hoss entered first and then Ben only to be met by Adam's voice from the dark recesses of the tunnel demanding they drop their weapons.

"Well, I would do that, son, if you thought it was necessary."

"Pa?"

As Adam had seen men entering the tunnel, he had quickly hidden himself in the dark area away from his campfire so he could see them clearly, but they wouldn't be able to see him. He did not recognize his father and Hoss until Ben spoke. Then it all made sense. They had worn disguises so they couldn't be trailed to him.

"Pa, I'm surprised to see you, but very glad you came."

"Adam, I didn't know when I would next see you. I had to come."

"And if Roy asks you where I am?"

"I'll tell him you're up in the mountains. He knows that already."

"How is everyone?"

But Ben knew that Adam really wanted to know about Annie and Andrew. Annie and Andrew headed out to Stockton yesterday. Joe went with them. He wanted to make sure they arrived safely."

Nodding, Adam smiled. "Please thank Joe for me when you see him. It may be a while before I see him. That was a wonderful thing for him to do."

"Your brother loves you very much, and we all love Annie and Andrew."

"I know, and thank you. I know how hard this has been on everyone. I wish there was another way, but frankly, I still haven't come up with a way out of this other than for the syndicate to be defeated. Pa, I think Annie and I will go away for a while until this is over. Who knows how long that will be, and I can't live in the wilderness until that happens. I want to be with my family."

"Son, I wish you could be with your whole family, but I know it isn't possible now. Where will you go?"

"For now, Pa, I'd like to keep that to myself. Annie and I will leave the country by different means and then we'll meet. When that happens, we'll make the rest of the plan. We have a few ideas in mind, but the safest seem to be going south. There are a lot of places we could go where they wouldn't care what my story was."

"I've been in Nicaragua. There are a lot of real pretty places south of here. Why not Mexico?"

"I'm assuming there are wanted posters on me. Bounty hunters follow fugitives into Mexico all the time. I wouldn't be safe there, and before you ask, not Canada because they would return me to the United States if they found out I was there. We have an extradition treaty with them."

"Will you write?"

"It's not a definite thing that we're leaving the country, but it is certainly an option we've discussed. If we have to leave, we'll write when we're settled and sure that we're safe. I have to make Annie and Andrew my top priorities now."

"I know you do, son, and I wouldn't expect anything else from you, but know that we'll be worrying here until we know you're safe. Every day has been difficult since you escaped from jail. That's only about a week and it was hard to endure. Now you're talking about being gone for months."

"Or years." Neither Hoss nor Ben had anything to say to that. They knew it was true but had hoped not to have to face that possibility.

"Are you staying tonight or heading back out?"

"Pa wants to stay, but I want to get back home. Ya don't mind, do ya?"

"Hoss, you did so much for me. Thank you. And you need to get home to your wife. She especially needs you close by now. With Pa and Joe gone, both Michele and Maggie would probably appreciate you being there."

So Hoss left, and Adam showed his father the enclosed canyon where the horses could graze and get water. Then the two of them cooked up some dinner and laid out their bedrolls. As they lay back relaxing after dinner, they got to talk about a lot of things.

Chapter 8

"Hope, goodbye, and impossible are the three words Annie said she never liked to use." Ben was lounging on his bed roll enjoying the opportunity to visit with Adam. When Adam was young, he was Ben's nearly constant companion. They had talked a lot. Then Marie had entered their lives, Adam had gone away to college, and Hoss and Joe grew to be men too. There were few opportunities for Ben and Adam to relax and talk. Once Adam married Annie, father and son had not had one extended conversation. Ben had a lot to say, and hoped that Adam would want to talk too for he wasn't sure how many chances if any there would be for them to do this.

"I understand the goodbye and impossible, but I wonder why she doesn't like hope."

"She said if you're hoping, then something bad has happened and you just thinking how good it would be if things were better."

"Well that makes perfect Annie-sense."

"Annie-sense?"

"She has a unique way of looking at the world sometimes. It isn't right or wrong; it's just different so I call it Annie-sense. For example, she liked me because we argued. Now to a lot of people, arguing would mean a couple didn't get along, but in Annie-sense, it means you care."

"So when the two of you argued so much about almost every little thing, she took that to mean that you liked her, and she argued back to let you know that she cared about you?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up. Annie-sense is a mystery in origin but really is logical even if it takes a bit of a leap of faith sometimes to accept it."

"A leap of faith?"

"Oh, yeah. She told me that by breaking out of jail after I was convicted should show people I was innocent. She said I stayed in jail because I assumed that as an innocent man I would be found not guilty, but when I was convicted, I had to escape because the system wasn't working properly so I had to get out to prove my innocence. She said that to let myself be hanged would be accepting that it was all right for the law to be wrong."

Watching Adam staring into the flames of the small fire, Ben knew who was at the center of Adam's thoughts at that moment. "You love her very much, don't you?"

"Pa, I never thought I would ever love anyone like I love her. I've opened my heart to her like no one else. She knows more about my weaknesses and doubts than anyone. She listens to me no matter what I have to say. I find it difficult to sleep when she isn't by my side. When I think of something interesting or see something that is beautiful or magical, I think of telling Annie. When I get an idea, and I'm not sure of myself, I want to tell Annie. I can't imagine life without her, and sometimes I find it difficult to even remember what it was like to live without her at my side."

"Adam, I loved your mother like that. She nurtured my dreams and hopes for the future cultivating, encouraging, and helping me to develop my confidence that I could do the things that were only thoughts and desires at the time."

"Did you love Inger and Marie the same way?"

"No, they were all very different types of women. Your mother was strong in intellect, confidence, and courage. She told me to let nothing ever stand in my way of reaching my goal. Now Inger was warmth, tenderness, and down to earth practicality. She taught me to appreciate those around me. I was a better father to my sons because of her. Marie was excitement and joy never letting anything important happen without an exuberant celebration. They all gave me so much especially my three sons."

"Pa, I don't know how you survived the loss of all three of the women you loved so much. Every time I think about losing Annie, I can't imagine how I could live without her."

"You would do it because Andrew would need you. He would be part of Annie that you would have forever."

"Or until he gets in trouble with the law and has to run away."

"Yes, there is that. Adam, I can only pray that the investigation doesn't take years. Can you wait a few months and give them time to finally bring this syndicate down? They have names now and they have evidence. I have to believe it can't take too much longer."

"The problem with that is that Annie is in danger too. They tried to make an example of me, and to get me out of the way. Pa, none of the family is safe. How will you protect them all and yourself too?"

"We are being careful. That's one of the reasons Joe traveled with Annie and Andrew. Hoss found that old prospector. We have his testimony now. If we can get just one more piece of evidence, your conviction will be overturned."

"Pa, the only other help for me are the Paiute I saw, but you know they will never accept the word of the Paiute against the word of six whites."

"Hoss said Dolan admitted some things before he was killed. Maggie sent that information off to her former boss. She thinks he will be able to move the investigation forward more rapidly because of it. We aren't sitting in as hopeless a situation as we were a week ago. Eventually Hoss and you too can testify to what Dolan said."

"Yes, but now tell me about my son and my wife. How have they been holding up with everything that has happened?"

So Ben told Adam everything he could remember about the family over the past week and how they had managed with all that had happened. Finally he asked Adam about his plans.

"I'm going to try to see Annie and Andrew in Stockton. Then I think I'll be heading south to find a place to lay low until this works itself out or doesn't. If not, Annie and I will rendezvous to decide what to do next."

The next day, Adam and Ben talked more and took the horses out for a ride in the hills. The day after, Ben and Adam hugged before separating as Adam headed through the mountains toward Stockton, and Ben headed back to the Ponderosa.

On the Blake Ranch, Annie and Andrew were saying goodbye to Joe who had escorted them to the ranch and had stayed over for a day to help them settle in and make sure they would be safe.

"Watch for Adam on the way back home. He said he would be heading this way as soon as he could."

Hearing the tremor in her voice, Joe tried to be reassuring. "He will be. If there had been anything too serious, we would have heard by now. I'm sure he's on his way."

Annie nodded even though she didn't feel that confident. Hugging Joe, tears formed but she did manage not to cry. Andrew waved as Joe rode out on a horse he had purchased from the Blake Ranch. Dave had a number of very fine horses and Joe had purchased one to add to the breeding stock of the Ponderosa. Dave had an old saddle he let Joe have, and told him if he saw his brother to tell him to hurry because his wife and son missed him terribly. Joe agreed to do that and then rode for home following a trail that he thought his brother might use if he was trying to avoid people. He made camp that night high in the hills with only peaceful night sounds around him. He woke later when a hand pressed down on his shoulder, but his heart rate stopped climbing when he heard that familiar baritone voice.

"Sorry, but I had to be sure who it was. You weren't riding Cochise so I waited until I could check things out."

"Damn, Adam, I wish you could have checked things out without nearly stopping my heart. Damn, it's good to see you though. Annie is very worried about you, and I'm glad to see you're all in one piece."

"I'm rather pleased with that myself. Annie settled in with the Blakes all right?"

"Definitely. They have a little boy too so Andrew is having fun having someone to play with. He waved goodbye when I left. He really is a tough little guy to handle all this so well."

"I wish he didn't have to, and I wish I hadn't put Annie through so much. I don't want her to ever regret marrying me, but this has got to be rough on her."

"The only rough part for Annie is that she's wondering where you are and if you're all right."

"I'm going to try to see her. I don't want to be too direct about it though and bring any attention to her there. I have to keep her safe."

"Do you want me to ride back there to tell her you're up here?"

"No, Joe, that's the kind of thing that would draw attention if anyone is watching. Thank you for all you've done. Pa told me you went with Annie, and I was relieved to know you were watching out for her."

"You finally got yourself married. I have to do everything I can to see you stay that way."

Adam grinned. "I'll get my horse and we can get some rest. We'll talk in the morning?"

"You bet. I have a lot of questions."

The next morning, Adam and Joe talked for quite a while. Adam explained things to about the same extent as he had done with Hoss and with their father. He was worried about telling his family members too much and putting them in a position where they might feel they had to lie. By mid-morning, the two brothers prepared to go their separate ways. Adam reached out to touch Joe on the shoulder and that was all it took to get Joe to grab Adam in a hug. Unashamedly Joe cried a few tears as he said goodbye. He was afraid in his heart that this might be the last time he ever saw his oldest brother.

"Joe, I'll be back. I can't say when, but I'll be back with my family when it's sage to return home."

"The Ponderosa is home then?"

"It always will be even when I'm not there."

The two brothers parted then and spent the rest of the day lost in thought as they rode. There was another homecoming on the Ponderosa. Martha returned and surprised her sister and Hoss.

"Why didn't you write that you were coming?"

Raising her right hand then, Martha showed them the cast. "I haven't been able to write a thing, and I couldn't even ride for a while. Finally the doctor gave me permission to travel and I came right here."

"Sis, what happened?" Hoss was as worried as Maggie.

"I went for a ride, and tried a jump I've done about a hundred times before. Something went wrong and I landed on my head and shoulder. Didn't know anything for a few days until my mind recovered from being scrambled a bit. My shoulder was so sore I couldn't move my arm at all which turned out to be a good thing because I broke bones in my hand, wrist, and forearm. When the swelling went down, they took the splints off and put on this cast. Then I could travel and I didn't waste any time getting here. I figured Joe would be upset. I got all of his letters in one day. Where is he anyhow?"

For the next hour or so, Hoss and Maggie began telling the story of what had happened since she had left. Michele and Ben sat by and added in details as everything was explained. Martha was in shock as she listened to the tale and heard what each of them had done.

"When do you expect Joe to get back?"

Everyone looked around wondering that themselves. Ben gave the only answer that anyone could. "Any day now, he should be back."

In two days, Ben was correct. Joe walked in the house and saw everyone sitting by the fireplace. "Hello everyone. I'm starved. I'll be out to talk as soon as I get something to eat." He turned to go to the kitchen to get a late dinner when he was shocked to meet Maggie coming out of the kitchen. "But Maggie, I just saw you sitting next to Hoss." Joe turned and was amazed when Martha stood up. She was wearing Maggie's robe.

"Aren't you even going to say hello to me?"

Seeing Martha there, Joe was shocked but then a huge grin emerged. Not only was he thrilled to see Martha, he had just gotten an idea. Martha spoke first.

"Joe, I thought you were ignoring me. My trunks haven't arrived yet so Maggie loaned me one of her robes. I'm sorry I didn't write, but I hurt my hand." Martha raised her right hand which was still heavily bandaged, but Joe seemed excited instead of concerned.

"Hoss, that's it! Damn, it was so obvious. It was right in front of us the whole time."

"Joseph, watch your language in front of the ladies!"

"Oh, Pa, sorry, but Pa. That's it. Don't you see? That's it. That's what we've been looking for all along."

The next afternoon, Joe had assembled the judge, the Davis family, the prosecutor, Roy, Adam's lawyers, and his family at the Davis home at the very spot where Buck Davis had been shot down in cold blood. He had assured all of them that he had someone important for them to talk to, and then he whistled and looked up the hill at the tree where the assassin had stood.

"That's him! That's Adam Cartwright." The oldest of the Davis children pointed.

Mrs. Davis gasped and put her hand to her mouth. "What is he doing here? What kind of game are you playing, Joe Cartwright?"

"No game, ma'am. This is too serious." He waved then and Clem walked out from under the tree. He was dressed in all black and was holding a set of spurs next to his rifle.

"Well you just wanted to trick us. We know now that it isn't Adam Cartwright, but what does that prove?"

"Well I wanted to see if you could tell the real Adam." Joe whistled again and another figure stepped out from behind the tree. The Davis family all looked very carefully at him, but Mrs. Davis said she didn't think that was Adam, so looking dejected, Joe signaled once more. When the third man stepped out to stand beside the tree, Mrs. Davis looked at Joe with a challenging look.

"There, now, that's him. You see, you couldn't fool us." All five children then agreed with their mother that the man up there was Adam Cartwright.

At Joe's signal, the man walked forward and pulled off his hat. It was Candy wearing Adam's clothing. Mrs. Davis whirled on Joe. "You tricked us. You told us that one of those men was Adam so we had to believe it was the third man."

"No, I just said I wanted you to see if you could tell which one was the real Adam. It's pretty clear to me that you can't. You saw the black clothes and hat and the general build and assumed it was Adam because of the fight, and your kids accepted your conclusion and saw what you saw. Except it wasn't my brother."

Judge Walker stepped forward at that point. "Well I said that one old prospector's claim wasn't enough to set aside the testimony of six people. I now withdraw that opinion. It is more than enough. I hereby set aside the jury verdict and declare Adam Cartwright innocent of the charge of murder in the case of Charles "Buck" Davis. I will have all the necessary papers drawn up as soon as I can get back to town. Sheriff, it's time for you to withdraw those wanted posters from circulation so Adam can come home."

Chapter 9

There was just darkness and silence. Adam listened for crickets or night birds and heard nothing. He wondered if it was possible that they had all sensed him and quieted or was there some other threat out there that he couldn't see? Carefully and quietly he approached the Blake house. When he neared the porch, he stood upright and walked into the light thrown by lanterns hanging in front of the house. He climbed the porch steps and knocked on the door seeing light in a room toward the back of the large home. Soon someone walking with a lamp approached the front door. Just as the door was opened, shots hit the porch exactly where Adam had been standing seconds before.

"Get inside quick, Adam. Hurry."

Shoving the door closed and dousing the lamp, Dave Blake pulled Adam to follow him. On reaching the kitchen, Dave told them to turn down the lamps and get low. He grabbed a pistol from his rig that was hanging on the wall next to the back door of the house. With Andrew huddled protectively in her arms, Annie slid over to Adam and quickly kissed him. "Cowboy, you sure do know how to make an entrance."

Leaning down, Adam kissed Annie in return and then kissed Andrew. "You two stay down and safe. I think I need to find out who tried to kill me out there a minute ago." Looking toward Dave who was crouched down by the kitchen door, Adam had to ask. "You ready to help me find out who's out there?" Dave had been in the Union Army following a stint as a Marshal. Better than most with a pistol, he had retired to this horse ranch when he married and had a son. He was very capable of handling this type of activity. The two of them cautiously exited the house and worked their way around to the front where they thought the gunmen might still be waiting. They were not disappointed. Gunfire erupted as soon as their furtive movements were noted. The men out there weren't nearly as experienced however. Dave or Adam would purposefully draw fire so that the other could fire where they saw the pistol or rifle flash. In just a few minutes, they had shot two of the would-be assassins. They heard one ride out.

"They just don't respect you, Adam. They only sent three to shoot you. You must be losing some of that intimidating reputation." Most of the sarcasm was lost on Adam who wanted to ride out after the third man. "Not even you can track a man in the dark. He's gone. Let's go inside so you can see your wife and son. I'll get my helper to keep watch. I'm surprised he isn't out here already." Dave soon found out that his stable hand had been locked in his room and couldn't get out. He was too large to fit through the small window in his room, and someone had stacked bales of hay against the door. The assassins must have suspected Adam would be here on this night and set a trap. It was only luck and timing that had made them fail in their task.

At the Lash mansion on the outskirts of Sacramento the next day, the one assassin who had escaped would meet the wrath of Daniel Lash. Lash had sent men to look for Dolan and to see if Adam Cartwright had been eliminated so they could move into step two of their plan. Instead the men found Dolan's body. There wasn't much left of it, and at first, they had thought it was Adam. He had what looked to be Adam's shirt and jacket. But they pulled the boot off what was left of his right leg and found four toes. They surmised that Adam had killed Dolan and dressed him in his own clothing to try to throw off pursuit. What he didn't know was that Dolan had lost a toe in the War and only had four left on his right foot. It was definitely Dolan so they had searched the area until they found the tunnel where Adam had been staying. He had recently left. When they reported all of that to Lash, he had sent three men to wait at the Blake ranch for he assumed Adam would go there. They had been watching Annie and had trailed her there. They would have followed Joe and killed him except Lash hadn't ordered that. They would have been sorely disappointed if they had known that Joe met Adam. They could have killed both if they had followed their inclination.

"Damn that Cartwright. He's like a blasted cat with nine lives. Now what do we do. They know we know where he is. I found out today from our men in Virginia City that the wanted posters on him are being withdrawn so we won't have any bounty hunters to help us out either."

"Mr. Lash, can I suggest something?"

"Go ahead and spit it out."

"Well, I was thinking that cause he shot and killed two of your men tonight, that you could get him charged with murder here in California. Put up a big reward so people will be climbing all over themselves trying to be the one to collect."

"You know no murder charge will stand up with Dave Blake as his alibi. They'll claim self defense, and any jury would accept it."

"Mr. Lash, you don't need to worry about it going to trial. If you put up say about ten thousand as a reward, dead or alive, he won't never make it to a jail even. Somebody is bound to shoot him for that kind of money. And it would all be legal."

"Ah I do like the sound of that plan. Get it done. We still own enough of that sheriff in Stockton for him to do this for us. If he loses his job over it, tell him we'll get him a new job. If he balks, remind him that his wife and children have no protection when he's at work. While you're at it, hire some men to replace the ones we lost. Get Darby to do it. He should be good at finding the kind of men we need."

Darby liked the assignment. He knew exactly whom he wanted to hire. It was all coming together now. Maggie's news had allowed him to avoid being detected and he managed to get another man blamed for being the government spy. Lash had that man killed and Darby had witnessed the whole thing as Lash's son shot the supposed spy in the head just after Lash ordered it. With the new hires, they would be ready to take Lash down. Darby didn't know about the plan for making Adam a highly sought after wanted man. If he had, he would have made his move sooner. As it was, it did goad him into the action that would finally bring down the head of the snake and finish the syndicate completely.

At the Blake Ranch, Adam spent a lot of time with Andrew who didn't want to move from Adam's lap once he was there. Adam had to lie down next to him when he went to bed so that he would sleep. As soon as Andrew's breathing became soft and regular, Adam slipped away from him to join Annie and the Blakes. He was leaning toward the plan that he had made with Annie for them to leave the country. Tonight's close call made both of them know they were under surveillance by the syndicate. They had to wonder how much longer their luck would hold, and now Dave could be in trouble for harboring a fugitive. They didn't know that Adam had been cleared of all charges in Virginia City. A telegram would arrive the next morning with that news but only after Adam had left and Annie was on her way to San Francisco. But then they found out very early that wanted posters were going up in California with a ten thousand dollar reward for Adam Cartwright, dead or alive.

Standing on the porch the next morning and drinking coffee, Adam and Dave received a copy of the wanted poster from Dave's stable man who had gone into town for supplies.

"Damn, Adam, they know those charges won't stick so they made the reward big enough to get somebody to kill you for it."

"Dave, can you get Annie and Andrew to San Francisco safely? She's not wanted so traveling with her would be legal for you."

"Of course I can do that. Then what?"

"Annie knows our plan. With these wanted posters, I need to get traveling fast. I'm going to have to say a quick goodbye which may upset her terribly, and Andrew is going to be tough to handle when he realizes I've abandoned him again."

"Adam, if you can keep yourself safe for just a while longer, I'm sure that the charges will be dropped. I can get lawyers working on it today."

"I've had lawyers working on it. All that got me was a death sentence. These wanted posters will just make it happen faster. Dave, I have to keep my family safe, and I need to do this. I know I'll be a fugitive, but we'll be safe. I can make a life for us elsewhere."

"You're leaving the country." It was a statement not a question and Adam said nothing more. He turned to go inside to say the gut wrenching goodbyes again. Then he mounted up and rode south. Dave had a pretty good idea where he was going, but he didn't ask. If questioned, he could truthfully state he that Adam didn't tell him where he was going. Within an hour, Annie had packed so Dave began the journey with her and Andrew to San Francisco. By the end of that week, Adam was in Mexico looking for a ship to take him to the Sandwich Islands, and Annie was boarding a ship in San Francisco harbor booked for the same destination. She had bank drafts with her and a fair amount of jewelry and cash. They would have plenty to start a new life somewhere. They would discuss the exact location when they had a chance to talk again.

There was one more crisis for Adam before he could leave. He had apparently been trailed from California. Luckily for him, the bounty hunter had not bribed the ship's captain and crew ahead of time and Adam had. Not only had he paid for his passage, he bought a large amount of alcohol for the captain to distribute once they reached the Sandwich Islands and paid the captain a handsome extra amount to make sure he got there safely. He told the captain that he would get a nice bonus too when Adam arrived in port. The captain had asked why he couldn't be paid in advance.

"Captain, the rest of my money is on its way to the Sandwich Islands already. By the time I get there, I hope it is safely stored in a bank. And sorry to say, sir, but I don't know you and an additional payment I hope is enough to get me there safely."

They shook hands on the deal, and the captain showed Adam to a cabin down below. It was cramped and none too clean but it would suffice. Fugitives seldom could be picky about their accommodations. When the bounty hunter attempted to come on board to take Adam into custody, the captain had him thrown into the harbor. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't swim and no one was in a mood to save him. The crew threw off the ropes, unfurled the sails when the breeze came up as expected later in the morning, and sailed out of the harbor with a nice wind pushing them at a reasonable speed. Within three weeks they sailed into Honolulu harbor. They had been detained by a storm that blew them south and had to tack into the wind to get to their destination.

With more favorable winds, Annie's ship had arrived a week earlier. On her arrival, she followed Adam's instructions and had their money safely stored. She rented a small home on the beach, and every day, she waited under the shade of a tree next to the harbor as Andrew played and napped. Luckily he was blessed with Adam's darker complexion and quickly tanned in the tropical sun. Each ship that entered the harbor caused her to stand and watch until every passenger had disembarked. Finally at the end of the week, she saw a disheveled man walk off a ship with the ship's captain. He was dirty, bearded, and dressed in gray shirt and pants, but she would know that walk anywhere. She grabbed Andrew's hand and began to hurry toward him. She saw the grin long before she reached them. She flew into Adam's arms after he stooped to pick up his son who wasn't so sure who it was until his father said his name. Adam kissed Annie, and then Andrew, and then Annie again. Then he turned to the captain.

"Annie, this is Captain Alvarez. He kept me safe and got me here. I promised him a bonus."

"Senor Cartwright, you have paid enough. Now that I see you with your family, I do not need that bonus. Perhaps up above, they will give me credit for this act, and forgive me for some of my sins. Good day, senor and senora, and best wishes for a safe journey."

Reaching out to grasp the captain's hand, Annie thanked him and said that they would be honored to host him at dinner that evening once Adam had a chance to clean up and get some better clothing. The captain agreed and then departed.

"So, sweetheart, where are we living at the moment?"

"Right this way. I have a romantic little cottage right on the beach. It's only two rooms and there are no windows, but then I didn't expect we would stay here long. I paid the rent for one month."

When they arrived, Adam was pleased with their temporary residence. He had expected something dark because Annie said it had no windows, but she was being literal. There were two large openings toward the ocean, and comfortable sleeping pads in one room and chairs and a table in the other. Annie smiled when she saw Adam's reaction.

"There aren't any mosquitoes here, and we face away from the direction of any storms blowing in. The overhangs protect us from any rainfall, and the morning sun will wake us."

"It's perfect. I am so glad to see you safely here. Now I want a bath and a shave. What kind of facilities are there for things like that?"

First grabbing a towel and telling Adam to grab his shaving kit, Annie led Adam a short distance from the cottage to a small pool fed by a tiny stream. He looked and she nodded. He slipped off his clothing and settled into the pool to wash. For the first time Annie saw the terrible scar on his back and knew how close she had come to losing him. She couldn't bear to look at it, so she went to the cottage to get a mirror, a bowl and a towel for Adam to use to shave. By the time she returned, she had regained her composure. She found Andrew was in the pool with Adam, and they were splashing water and laughing. Annie had to smile and then laugh too. For the first time in over a month, she felt they were safe and that they had a future together.

Chapter 10

"Pa! Pa, you gotta come hear the report Maggie just got. It's great news, Pa." Hoss got everyone's attention with that. He and Maggie had gone to town so that she could talk with Doctor Martin about some concerns with her pregnancy. While they were in town, they had stopped to get the mail and there had been a thick package for Maggie. Opening it, she found a report on the demise of the syndicate. The undercover man Darby had come forward when Lash was about to set in motion some assassinations. He had targeted Ben Cartwright among others now that Adam had slipped away from him. Darby had managed to get other government agents hired by the Lash syndicate so when Lash gave some orders that they could not legally follow, they had turned on him. As authorities moved on his mansion to arrest him, he had killed himself. His sons and other employees had tried to shoot it out but had died in the effort. The sheriff in Stockton had been among the others arrested as the final nail went in the coffin of the syndicate. All charges against Adam were dropped as information was produced showing he did not commit any crimes. All wanted posters had been called in. There would be a fear for some time that a poster was still out there, and that some bounty hunter would try to act on it though.

Sitting on the arm of the red leather chair that Ben favored, Michele put her hand on Ben's shoulder for she could see his eyes were shiny with tears. Joe and Hoss got a little choked up too seeing how their father had reacted. Adam was now safe from prosecution, but no one knew where he was. He didn't know that Martha was back and that Joe had asked her to marry him. She had agreed. Joe said he wanted to wait for Adam to be home for the wedding, but each day, they began to question whether or not he would be home. They planned to tell the family their news soon whether Adam was back or not. Everyone hoped that Adam and his family were all right, but they had no way to tell him that he could come home. He had fled to be safe and to keep his family safe, and all of them knew he had likely left the country. So for the family, the big question was where he was for they very much wanted to get in touch with him. Hoss decided they would share their other news as well.

"Pa, Michele, you know how concerned we all were with Maggie getting so large and still having more than two months to go? Well Doctor Martin gave us some good news too. We're gonna have twins."

That did lighten the mood and everyone congratulated Hoss and Maggie on the good news. Instead of fears that the baby would be very large making the delivery very difficult, there would be two deliveries. Joe and Martha looked at each other and looked at Ben who, although smiling, still had some sadness in his look. With a small smile and a nod, Martha gave Joe permission to tell them their news.

"Pa, because it's a time for celebration, Martha and I have some good news too. We decided on getting married. We want the wedding to be here in a month. It's gonna be a big party, and we wanted to have it when Maggie could still enjoy it."

That led to another round of congratulations, and it seemed Ben had shaken the sadness away, but brought it back on himself with his next statement. "Brothers marrying beautiful sisters and one of those sisters who will bring two grandchildren onto the Ponderosa in a couple of months. I have to say that a few years ago, I wondered if any of my sons would marry, and if I would ever have any grandchildren. Now I have all three sons married, a grandson, and two more grandchildren on the way. How could things be any better than this?" And then he stopped for all the worry and sadness because of Adam's flight came rushing back in on him. Everyone knew that no matter how happy they all were, there would be that concern and sadness until they knew that Adam and Annie were safe.

In Honolulu, Adam and Annie were making plans. They had decided that they would use the situation as an opportunity to travel. The biggest concern was extradition. They didn't know which countries in Europe would honor extradition for a murder charge. So they were thinking about China and Australia for an adventure.

"If we want to live in reasonable comfort, I would need to work or make investments with the money we have available. For a while, we might need to do both." Always practical, Adam realized that to live the way he wanted his family to live, he would need an income as well as the wealth they carried with them.

"So that would make Australia the more logical choice for us. I would like to see some of those animals that are described in the books. I find it hard to believe that there is a half mammal and half duck animal, or an animal with a pouch to carry its baby. It could be so much fun to show those animals to Andrew. He loves to wade in the surf here and see all the colorful fish swimming about. We saw a whole school of tiny bright blue fish yesterday. Australia could be a lot of fun."

"Yes, and we speak the language too. I'll make arrangements for travel if you agree that's the place for us to visit."

"Yes, and perhaps if we spend enough time there, the trouble at home will be resolved, and we can return."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. I've wanted to travel since I came home from college. This takes care of that and keeps me from having a choking sensation in my neck."

"Cowboy, I really don't need any more reminders of all of that. Perhaps we could pledge not to talk about that any more unless we need to?"

Nodding, Adam picked up his shirt and slipped it on. He had been going shirtless on the beach every day that they had been there. Annie didn't mind the view at all, and it was cooler to do that as well. They were doing a lot of swimming and had met some of the native people who invited the family to join them frequently when they found that Adam and Annie accepted them as equals. There weren't many whites who would do that and the natives found it refreshing to know that not all whites were so prejudiced.

The first week they had been on the island, Adam had penned a letter to his family to tell them that all three of them were together and safe. Now he planned to send a second letter telling them that they were going to travel and when he could, he said he would give them their location and an address for correspondence. Adam met with some of the people they had met in Honolulu and got information about Australia from some who did some trade with that continent. Within a week, he had booked passage to Australia and made arrangements to ship their possessions there as well as soon as the freight arrived from San Francisco. Almost a month to the day that Annie had first arrived in Honolulu, the family boarded a ship bound for Australia. Neither of Adam's letters had yet made it to the Ponderosa.

As the ship sailed out of the harbor, Adam stood at the rail with one arm around Annie and Andrew in his other arm. He finally had his dream of travel. He had seen parts of Mexico he had never before seen, he had lived on a beach in the Sandwich Islands for almost a month, and now was headed to Australia with all its exotic creatures. He should have been elated, but all he felt was sadness that he had torn his wife and son away from their only home because of his needs. He pledged to himself that he would do everything he could to make them happy. Annie could feel the tension in Adam and how stiffly he stood there beside her.

"It's not your fault. We're in this together, and lots of evil men made us have to make these decisions. Do not blame yourself. I'm looking forward to this adventure almost as much as you are I think, and Andrew is a happy boy. Just look at him. He has everything he wants right here now."

With a smile, Adam kissed her and then kissed his son. They spent most of the day on deck watching the islands shrink away behind them and then watched whales breaching in the afternoon when the ship came upon a pod of them. One large whale repeatedly struck his tail on the water creating huge splashes that they could still see long after they had passed by the whales. They had been fascinated by the sight. Andrew had wanted to go in the water with them not realizing how big they were nor how deep the water was. Living in a shallow lagoon had not prepared the toddler for the dangers of deep water. Adam and Annie knew they needed to keep close contact with him for the rest of the trip. Within a week that was primarily Adam's responsibility because Annie was sick almost all the time. They had run into a series of small storms, and apparently Annie was not well suited to riding a ship that pitched and yawed in the large storm waves. By the time they sailed into Sydney Harbor, Annie looked at Adam as they stood at the rail and made a declaration that surprised him.

"Well here's our new home."

"Annie, I thought this was temporary until we could go back to the Ponderosa?"

"I thought so too until that trip here. I will never get on a ship again, so we better get used to living here."

Adam smiled then but he wasn't at all sure how serious she was. Meeting them at the gangplank was an employment broker. He met all the ships coming in and tried to find people for jobs that were available. He asked Adam if he was interested in employment. When Adam replied positively, he asked him what he could do.

"Mining engineer or architect would be my first choices."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have anyone looking to fill those jobs. Can you shoot? There's a job for a sharpshooter. If you can ride, there are a lot of jobs on stations here."

"I'd rather find some work in the city so I can stay close to my family and enjoy what the city has to offer."

"Well if you can do engineering and architecture, then I would assume you are well educated. I do have a job as a schoolteacher available. It would be teaching math to young gentlemen for the next two months until summer break."

Mentally adjusting to the idea that summer would be opposite what he was used to at home, Adam thought the job might be good until he could secure work he wanted to do. "If you give me your card, I'll give you an answer tomorrow. I would like to get my family settled first."

"Of course, of course. I'm sure the school would be happy to employ you. I will get the particulars of the job. Where will you be staying?"

"We hope to get some rooms at a hotel here. We have several recommendations from some people in Hawaii who have done business here."

"If you don't mind the advice, it would be cheaper to rent a small cottage on the outskirts of the city, and more comfortable for your wife and son too. If you walk up the street there about two blocks, there's an office with properties for sale and rent." Handing over his card, the broker moved on to talk to others who were disembarking.

Adam hired a hackney so that they could travel more comfortably and had all the luggage put in the back. They stopped at the office that had been recommended and made an appointment to look at several properties, some for sale and some for rent. Then they proceeded to a hotel that had been recommended and took a room there. The last thing that needed to be done was to go to a bank and set up some accounts. By the end of the day, they were tired but relaxed. Everything had gone well and the banker had made some suggestions as to investments. Adam was going to meet with a broker the next day as well. Everything seemed to be falling into place. When he wrote a letter to his father, he couldn't keep the excitement out of the letter. Within a week, he was penning another letter. It seemed that the sickness Annie experienced on the ship was not just the result of the wave action for she continued to be sick on land. A visit to the doctor confirmed what they had hoped. Annie was with child. Adam sent their address too for he was fairly confident that no one was going to come this far to get him and he had purchased a small home on the outskirts of Sydney and had accepted the job as a schoolteacher. He was to start the next day.

Chapter 11

"Nakes, Mama, nakes!" seemed to be a common cry Annie heard around the house. Adam had killed a snake in their yard. It had shaken all of them, but Andrew now saw snakes in every thing that moved in the grass. Adam had told him that the snakes were dangerous and could kill so that he must be very careful. It had caused him to fear going outside unless he was carried. For the time being, that was fine until they got used to the dangers of their new home, but Annie knew it bothered Adam to have his son so afraid. Annie had been terrified at first of the giant bats that flew about until she learned they ate fruit. There had even been an occasion where some had flown over their house at night and dropped fruit. The banging on the roof had frightened them too until the next morning when Adam had discovered the fruit remnants on the roof. He had laughed and said perhaps they ought to train the bat to bring fruit. They had not yet seen a platypus but people told them that the little creatures were elusive. All three of them had been fascinated the first time they saw kangaroos. They had been warned not to get too close as they could be dangerous. Koalas ambled about from gum tree to gum tree, and kookaburras were their friends they were told for they would kill and eat snakes.

Neighbors helped them learn about the animals that were a threat and warned them away from the beaches because of sharks. Swimming was done in small pools not in the beautiful waters of the large harbor. In return, Adam told tales of the American west with gunfighters and gangs that robbed banks and trains. He told them of the Paiute and Shoshoni as well as the cougars, grizzly bears, and antelope. Many nights were spent learning about Australia from their neighbors and sharing recipes. Once the two crates of their personal belongings arrived, their home felt more like home.

Each day it seemed that Annie's tummy bump grew larger. She still had about five months to go by her best guess, but Adam suggested that it might be four which would explain her being larger than she was with Andrew at about that same point in her pregnancy. She hoped it was true because as it had gotten warmer and warmer, she was more and more uncomfortable. Adam purchased an extra large tub.

"Is that because I'm so huge?"

"No, sweetheart, you are not huge, but more water will fit in here and you can lounge longer to get relief from the heat."

"And that's the only reason you got it extra big?"

"Well I did think that if you wanted to invite me in some evening, that there would be enough room for me and perhaps enough room for some pleasurable activities."

Smiling, Annie leaned back in her chair. "I'm glad we have a house on the outskirts. The breezes up here help too."

"Yes, it can get beastly hot in that school, and I have to wear that darn suit and the tie tied tight up against my neck. But at least we have income right away even if it isn't much. Over the summer, I want to travel a bit and see if I can get some work as a mining engineer or as an architect."

"How far would you travel?"

"Only up to the blue mountains. That's the furthest I would go. They're developing some mines there, and I want to see what kind of terrain and rock they're working with."

Within two months, Adam had a couple of jobs consulting on mining projects as well as contracts to design two homes. It was freelance work, and at this point, he preferred that. He could spend more time with his family working at home, and he did not have to make any long term commitments. It also meant that he did not need to go back to the teaching job although they had asked him repeatedly if he would. Qualified instructors in math were difficult to find. Eventually he told the school headmaster that if he did not have enough work, he could help them out in the second term. He didn't ever go back to teaching much to the dismay of the school headmaster. His first two home designs were built and as the structures neared completion, there was a lot of interest in the style that Adam had developed. It was a combination of things he knew from studying architecture adjusted for the climate and environment of Sydney. Soon he had all the work he wanted designing homes and some public buildings. He continued consulting on mining projects, and their bank balances grew exponentially it seemed with the investments he had made as well. Annie was able to hire a woman to help her with the cooking and laundry as her delivery date neared.

When Annie woke Adam to let him know it was time for their second child to be born, he was more calm than he had been with Andrew. Both of them missed not having family there for support but friends helped out. By late that day, Adam heard a baby's cry from the bedroom and waited anxiously until the doctor stepped out to tell him he had a daughter. Adam scooped Andrew up in his arms.

"Mama had a little girl. You have a sister now. Do you want to go see her?"

Not waiting for an answer, Adam carried Andrew into the bedroom to find an exhausted Annie holding their daughter. She smiled at Adam and asked him to take his daughter.

"Annie, are we agreed on the name now?"

They had had a number of discussions about the name. Adam wanted to call her Hope but Annie had pushed for Elizabeth or Ingrid. She just didn't like the name Hope. Finally Adam looked at her and asked. "Why not Hope?"

"Hope is something you want but don't have. I want something more solid for her name. Something that says she's ours and precious to us."

"How about Joanna, gift from God. Joanna Hope Cartwright?"

"Yes, I like that."

So Andrew got his sister Joanna. He wondered why she was so small and was shocked to see how his mother fed her. Adam told him he had done the same, but Andrew said that couldn't be true. He ate from a plate and knew how to use a fork and a spoon. Annie laughed and told Adam he was going to have fun explaining the facts of life to Andrew when he was older.

Adam penned another letter to his family wondering why they had not heard anything yet. He began to worry that something worse had happened. Two months later he finally got a letter in answer to his second letter home. He assumed the family was probably getting his third letter about the same time. He waited until he reached his home before he slit the thick letter open and read it out loud to Annie as she nursed the baby. Andrew was napping in his room. When he finished reading, both of them were amazed at all the news. Hoss and Maggie had twin girls, all the charges against Adam had been dropped and he was exonerated, and Joe had married Martha. Adam looked at Annie expecting a smile but saw only her frown.

"What's wrong? That's all good news."

"Yes, it is, but Adam, we've made commitments here, and Joanna is only two months old. It's too soon for her to travel, and now that we know more about sailing out here, we know we shouldn't travel from August through January because of all the storms. We need to wait almost a year before we can seriously consider going home."

With all the work Adam was doing with the upper echelon of Sydney society, he and Annie were being invited to parties frequently. There was also a rich cultural life in the city that they enjoyed. Andrew made friends with neighbor children who often came to the house to play. They were almost too busy to be homesick. As Adam's wealth grew, he hired a man to watch over his family and work as a caretaker of the grounds. They now had two people dependent on them for their livelihood. Fully immersed in Australian life, they seldom thought of home. Letters began to be exchanged on a more regular basis with Nevada until after nearly two years had passed, and they got a letter that changed everything.

"When will you come home?"

Adam stared at the words at the end of his father's letter. All the hope and longing of a father to see his son came through in that simple sentence. Annie walked up behind Adam and placed her hands on his shoulders as he sat lost in that thought.

"What did your father say that has you so pensive?"

"Been using the dictionary to look up words to use again?"

"Don't do that. I'm serious so don't try to distract me. What did your father say?"

"He wants to know when we'll come home."

"This is a lovely place to live. Our children are so happy here, and our new one will love it too." Adam turned and placed his head against the small bump that was just starting to show on his wife. He caressed her stomach. They had begun their marriage thinking they would never be blessed with children, and now the third was on its way. Annie stroked his hair and then rested her hand on the back of his neck. "But this will never feel like home to us when we have a home on the Ponderosa. If we're going, we should go soon. This one could be born at home."

Looking up at Annie, Adam could see how serious she was. "You want to go? Just like that, we pack up and head for the Ponderosa?"

"Can you give me one reason right now that we shouldn't?"

"The only one would be that when you stepped off the ship here, you said you would never get on one of them again."

"That's because I was with child and was sick every single day on board that blasted floating cork. But this time we can wait for the biggest fastest ship they have, and I'm past the morning sickness. Now is the time to go. How long would it take for you to wrap up your business concerns here?"

"So that's it? We've made up our minds?"

"Haven't we? We knew this day was coming. It's time."

Standing then, Adam pulled Annie into a tight embrace. "The children have just laid down for their naps. Perhaps we could go seal our pact with a kiss and maybe a bit more?"

"Oh, I'm thinking there's going to be a whole lot more. We better do as much as possible before we leave because your son is too inquisitive and curious for us to do much of anything on board a ship. I remember how close those quarters are."

Grinning, Adam scooped Annie up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom, where in fact, a lot more did happen. Although he did ask her why is was his son and not theirs whenever there was something she didn't like in his behavior.

"Oh, perhaps it's because that's when he reminds most of you."

"You are definitely pushing toward that spanking."

"Oh, you've been threatening that for years. I don't believe you'll ever do it."

"I'd do it right now except your tummy would make it too difficult to hold you over my knee."

"Oh really, that's the only thing stopping you?" And Annie had laughed as she did every time she was teasing him for she knew what was coming next. He would kiss her to stop her sass and then that always led to more.

Chapter 12

"Perhaps you should have written to your father that we were coming back. He might have wanted to get ready."

"Annie, the letter would have traveled with us on the ship, and then probably on the same conveyances as we have used to get here. Don't worry so much. We'll be there soon. It's going to be crowded there unless they've added on or Joe has his own home."

"We promised Andrew a new book, and both children need to be fed before we head out to the ranch. I could use a good meal myself."

So Adam walked his family to the mercantile where Andrew found a book he wanted, and Adam picked up a couple too. Then they headed to the International House for a meal. As they were finishing their meal, Annie gasped and pointed out the window. Hoss was climbing down from the buckboard in front of the mercantile. Adam stood so fast he almost knocked his chair back. He had tried to seem so calm about going home, but his action gave him away. Annie smiled as Adam rushed outside to hail Hoss who turned and ran across the street. Adam was worried about the big man slamming into him, but Hoss drew up right next to him and pulled him into a bear hug.

"Dadburnit, why didn't you let us know you was coming. I near had a heart attack when I saw you over here. Where's Annie and Andrew? I heard you got a little girl too so now where is she?"

Smiling, Adam hugged back before answering. "They're all inside. C'mon in and meet my daughter. She's going to love you. Andrew is a lot bigger now too. Thinks of himself as quite the mature older brother and tries to tell Joanna what to do."

"Sounds like you taught him to be just like you."

"Now you sound like Annie."

By then, they had reached the dining room, and Annie stood to get a hug from Hoss. She introduced him to Joanna who had a big grin for him. Then they turned to Andrew who was quietly observing the whole scene.

"You must be Andrew, but the last time I saw you, you was only about as tall as my knees and couldn't hardly walk by yourself. You've really grown up a lot."

"You're really big. Is Papa going to be as big as you when he grows up?"

Patting Adam's middle which had grown some from sitting at a desk and then more with the enforced idleness of an ocean voyage as a passenger, Hoss laughed. "Well he ain't never gonna be as tall as me, but ifn he keeps eating like that, he could be just as wide."

Right then and there Adam committed himself to losing those extra pounds and getting back into shape. He guessed there would be more physical activity for him here than he had usually experienced in Australia. By then Hoss' attention had shifted to Annie's sizable tummy bump.

"Annie, really? You wanted another one with this older brother of mine. I would think two of his would be enough to handle."

"But, Hoss, they could be more like me."

"Sis, I don't think that would make it any easier."

That made Adam laugh out loud as Annie gave him one of those looks that said she was going to get even somehow. He stifled the rest of the laughter but would remember that look on her face for a long time.

"You want to ride back with me? I got the two seater buckboard cause Candy was using the other one to repair some fences."

"We have a lot of luggage. Will you have room for everything?"

"I only got a short list from Hop Sing. I'm thinking I ought to add a bit more to it, but there should still be plenty of room. Where's your luggage?"

"At the station. We could take the wagon there to pick it all up when you're ready."

"I'll be ready soon as I have me some lunch." So Hoss sat with them and got the first stories about their adventures in the Sandwich Islands, in Australia, and on the voyages there and back. "Pa is gonna be so excited, and I know he'll want to hear all them stories too."

"How is he, Hoss? He sounded kinda sad in the last letter."

"He's been feeling a bit down lately. You coming back ought to help snap him out of it though. He's doing less on the ranch now, and I think it bothers him some, but when he tries to do more, he gets so sore he can hardly walk the next day. His back has gotten pretty stiff over the last couple of years. You know it wasn't so good even before you left. But having more grandchildren around and listening to your stories ought to perk him up some."

"I hope so although after a day or two, he might wish there weren't quite so many grandchildren running about. It's going to be a bit crowded in the house."

"No, it really ain't. Joe built himself and Martha a nice little cabin not too far from the main house. Pa invited Candy to move into the main house because there was so many empty rooms. Adam, you gonna want your house back real soon?"

"Not at all, Hoss. I have some ideas for a house and I need more room now especially with another one on the way. I also plan to continue doing architectural work so I'm going to need a good sized office in my house. No, if you and Maggie want to, you can keep the house. It's yours."

"Dang, that's just about perfect. Maggie really likes the house, and I do enjoy that indoor water closet. Makes it a lot easier with the girls too. Maybe you could put one in the main house for Pa and Michele. I'm sure they'd like that."

"If they want one, we can order the parts when I order for my house. I may order another of those oversize tubs too. I did miss that."

With Annie blushing a bit with that, Hoss guessed that they had used it like he and Maggie had used it on occasion. He didn't say any more about it not wanting to embarrass her. They finished lunch, and went to the wagon. Andrew wanted to know where the top of it was.

"Well, out here, we don't put tops on our wagons."

"What do you blokes do when it rains?"

"Blokes? Is that a good word or a bad one?"

Annie smiled. "Andrew is not allowed to use any bad words. That simply is a term for men. He's picked up a few Australian phrases. I'm sure you've noticed that he has a bit of an accent. Joanna has one too, but because she spent most of her time with me, she doesn't have much of an accent and none of the slang that Andrew learned when he traveled with his father."

"Oh. Andrew, we have slickers to wear, or we use a carriage with a top."

After picking up the luggage, Hoss turned the team toward home. Andrew sat beside him on the front bench, and Adam and Annie sat on the back bench with Joanna between them. Hoss took the long way home so they could see the lake view. It was nearly dinner time before they pulled up to the ranch house. Ben came walking out without taking a good look.

"It's about time you got back. Hop Sing has been complaining for ..." He stopped his speech and all movement as he stared.

"Hi, Pa. Sorry about no advance warning, but we traveled as fast as a letter would have."

Ben rushed forward as Adam climbed from the wagon. He shed tears unashamedly as he pulled his son into an embrace. "I have missed you so much. I didn't think it would be as difficult as it was. Every time someone asked about you, it hurt. Now you're here. Oh, you've made me so happy. And, Annie, I am so glad to see you. Oh, and this must be Andrew. I hardly recognize you, Andrew. You've grown so much. Is this Joanna? Pleased to meet you, my dear."

Seeing his father look quizzically at Annie's tummy bump, Adam nodded. "Yes, Pa, there's another one on the way. The doctors could not have been more wrong about Annie not having children. I'll help with the luggage if you'll take Annie and the children inside."

Smiling like he hadn't since Joe's marriage and the birth of the twins, Ben took Andrew's offered hand and led him into the house with Annie and Joanna following behind. Hoss and Adam heard the squeals of delight when Michele realized Annie was back. By the time they carried in the luggage, the two ladies were sitting together on the settee with Joanna as Andrew sat in the blue chair and looked around the room that he found vaguely familiar.

"Do you remember this room, Andrew?"

"I think I should. I don't know. It's very confusing."

Hearing Ben's question and Andrew's answer, Adam walked over, picked up his son, and sat down with Andrew in his lap. "You weren't even two years old when we left. So your mind might remember a bit, but not many people have clear memories of things that happened before they were two years old. You did sit in the chair that the two of us sat in all the time though."

A bit proud of himself for that one, Andrew sat up proudly until Hop Sing came out with cookies and milk. There were three glasses of milk, a big plate of cookies, and four cups of coffee. Hoss declined the coffee saying he better go get Maggie and the girls and that they would tell Joe and Martha too. Hop Sing was ready too.

"I make big dinner celebrate number one son come home. I make chicken and now make ham too. It be good welcome home dinner. You see."

It was a boisterous celebration when Maggie got there with the twins, and then Martha and Joe showed up too. There were so many stories to share, there wasn't time for all of them. Ben asked Joe to explain how they got Adam cleared in the Buck Davis shooting. Adam told Joe how impressed he was with his detective work. Then Adam explained how he had gotten to the Sandwich Islands and then how they got to Australia. Andrew piped in with his version of 'nakes' stories before Annie said it was time for the children to go to bed. She got them settled upstairs in two of the guest rooms. She and Adam took a room between the two of them. Candy was using Hoss' old room so it worked out well. Candy had volunteered to move back to the bunkhouse but Adam said he would only be there temporarily which elicited a worried look from Ben.

"We're home, Pa, but we would like our own house. With another on the way and my architectural business, we're going to need more room."

"You designed this house. Why don't you redesign it and add on what you want. It's big enough and there's room for expansion. It's a lot of house for just Michele and me. Even with Candy staying here, it seems kind of empty."

Looking at Annie, Adam nodded. "We'll talk about it." That got a smile from Ben. Jeremy and his wife had the furthest to travel so they said their goodbyes first. Then Joe and Martha left. Finally Hoss and Maggie left saying they had to get the twins to bed. Candy bid them goodnight saying he had an early morning coming up. It was much quieter with only Ben and Michele with Adam and Annie.

"You're not so sure you want to live in this house, are you?"

"Pa, it's not that. I need a big office, and Annie wants a water closet for us as well as one for the children to use. To do what would need doing, would mean that part of the roof would literally have to be raised, and part of the main wall of the house would have to be removed to make way for the expansion. The back staircase and the porch would be removed. It would be a huge inconvenience for everyone."

"I like the sound of it though." That statement by Ben shocked Adam and to a lesser extent surprised Annie. They weren't so used to Ben accepting change that quickly or easily. "Now don't look like that. I've had a couple of years to evaluate how I've handled things. I decided to make a few changes. Michele and I talked often of you and Annie returning. We didn't know there would be another baby but we knew you had two children. We correctly guessed that to get you to stay here would require expanding the house so you could have your privacy. We agreed we would make sure that happened. It does seem right that the eldest son live in the main house of the family ranch. When you're ready to raise the roof, I think I may take my wife on an extended and belated honeymoon. Those Sandwich Islands sound just about right. If we were gone a couple of months, would that be enough time to make the changes you need to make?"

Leaning over to look in Adam's face, Annie was hopeful. She saw the look of intense concentration and hoped it would lead to the answer she wanted to hear. Adam frowned at her and she sighed deeply in disappointment. After a few minutes of silence, he looked at his father. "I think that will work." Annie hit him in the shoulder then.

"You big lug. You made me suffer and you intended to say yes. You're going to be sorry you did that."

Adam laughed and said it was probably time they went to bed for their children were early risers. He stood and offered his hand to Annie who rebuffed him and headed for the stairs without him. He caught up and slapped her derriere. She turned quickly and saw that Ben and Michele had not seen that. She whispered a quick warning. "You're gonna get it when we get in the bedroom."

As they walked up the stairs, he answered her very quietly. "Sweetheart, that's what I've been hoping. It's the first time in nearly two months that we don't have our children sleeping in the same room with us."

"You're insatiable."

"That may be my middle name. Now let's get to bed. I have some exercising to do to get back into shape."

Chapter 13

The next morning, Adam and Annie lounged in bed for a while talking about the future until Adam said they needed to get down to breakfast so they wouldn't anger anyone. By the time they got to the table, Candy had eaten and left, and Ben and Michele were enjoying coffee.

"We went ahead with breakfast. We thought you might sleep in a bit after all that traveling. Hop Sing is keeping plates warm for you whenever you're ready." Ben was being very gracious and both Adam and Annie thanked him for his thoughtfulness.

Annie was surprised by one thing though. "Usually our children wake us up when we have a chance to sleep in, but I haven't heard a thing."

Michele smiled. "They were up almost before dawn. Joanna wasn't sure which room was yours and came into ours instead. We told her that we would get up with her, and she should let you sleep, and by the time we got to the hallway, Andrew was there too. So I helped Joanna dress, and then Ben took both of them downstairs for breakfast that Hop Sing had already prepared. That man continues to amaze me with things like that. The children are out on the porch now watching the hands work some stock in the corral."

"They are something. They keep Annie and I busy. We talked, and we decided we liked the idea about redesigning this house. We won't do anything to the front facade, but I want to add bedrooms, water closets, and an office to the back and take better advantage of the view that we only see from the dining room now. How does that sound?"

"Son, it's pretty much what I thought you might want to do. I have one request though. Michele was going to use one of the guest bedrooms as a sewing room, but she could use more light for that work. Could you add windows to the guest bedrooms in back for more natural light? And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you add a water closet to the washroom down here?"

"I'll start doing some preliminary drawings for your approval. Once we can agree on the design elements, I'll order materials. How does that sound?"

"It sounds wonderful. Candy wants to move back to the room off the bunkhouse. I would like to make that a nicer place before he does that. Michele has some decorating ideas, but perhaps you could look at the room and see what improvements you could make so that it's more comfortable? I do want Candy to stay here."

After Adam and Annie finished breakfast, they went to see their children and then to look over the room at the end of the bunkhouse. It didn't take Adam long to have a couple of suggestions. He wanted to put a door in the back of the room, and add a small porch in the back so Candy could relax in private if he wanted to do that or even entertain a guest without everyone watching his every move. Annie thought a lamp instead of a lantern would make it more homey, and she and Michele agreed on window coverings and matching bed linens to make it look more like a home than a room. They emptied one of the trunks that Adam had used to ship design plans home and put that at the foot of the bed. Some shelving and a dresser completed the furnishing because there already was a table with chairs in the room. Within a few days, the other simple changes had been made. Candy was touched that they would do all of that for him, and did admit it looked more like a home than it had before.

That project had kept Adam busy, and in the evenings the family gathered for stories as everyone wanted to know what the others had been doing. Ben enjoyed these days very much. Many decades before, this had been his dream: to have a large ranch and a loving family living on it. Now he had it all. Everyone seemed so happy that he just knew it had to end, but he wasn't sure what the first argument would be. He was very surprised when it was Annie and Joe who had the first angry exchange.

Very busy getting horses ready for a contract, Joe had spent little time with Adam. He thought to remedy that by asking Adam to help him break some horses. Adam tried to decline, but Joe knew him too well. A few barbs about being old and not being able to do man's work any more, and Adam said he would be at the breaking corrals in the morning. Then the children asked if he would read them a story because Annie had told them it was time for bed. He went up the stairs with Andrew and Joanna, and Annie whirled on Joe.

"If he gets hurt or killed, I will make your life miserable, Joe Cartwright. You will wish it was you instead of him."

"Aw, Annie, it's just a couple of mustangs. He's been breaking horses since he was in his teens. He knows the risks."

"He hasn't done it in over two years. He's been hurt before when he did it, and now he'll be rusty too. He's been riding but not the kind of riding that prepares him for this."

"Annie, it'll be fine. You don't have to mollycoddle him. He's a man, and he knows what he can and can't do."

"Really! After those things you said, he could hardly decline. Now I'm going up to kiss my children good night." Storming up the stairs, Annie left no one in doubt as to how she felt.

"You did goad him into it, Joe. Maybe it would be better if he came with me to the branding. He could kinda work his way into things gradual like?"

"Hoss, he's a man. He can make his own decision tomorrow." On that sour note, Joe and Martha bid everyone goodnight and left for their home.

It was quiet in the room for a bit. "I guess I knew it was too good to last. Well it was very enjoyable for a few days at least. Let's all get some sleep. Tomorrow could be even more interesting." Ben stood then to start turning down the lamps, and Hoss and Maggie gathered up their sleeping twins and headed home.

Adam heard a bit from Annie too. "Men! You just have to try to prove you're better than each other. Can't you just forget about it, and do what you're good at?"

"I'd like to, but I sense you're not in the mood for that."

"Cowboy, don't try to be cute about this. It's serious. You could get hurt or even killed."

"Annie, I've been busting broncos for twenty years."

"Actually, eighteen because you haven't done it for two years now. You're out of practice, and I know your father has talked about you getting hurt doing it. He said one time you took a nasty blow to the head, and he wasn't sure you would survive it. How many times do you think you can get hit on the head like that and wake up again? Can you tell me that?"

"Annie, it will be fine. I'm sure Joe isn't going to give me the worst ones to ride. He knows I'm out of practice too. He's my brother. He won't knowingly put me in danger."

"Famous last words? I don't like it."

"Annie, I promise you that I won't take any unnecessary risks. You can kick my butt if I do."

"If you do, there may not be any butt to kick." Tears threatened then, and Adam pulled her into his embrace. "Adam, I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. Two years ago, I was sick with worry about losing you. Now that you're safe and we're home, I thought the worry would go away, but it hasn't."

The next morning breakfast was rather quiet as even the children sensed the tension. When Adam got up and went to put on his chaps, Andrew had all sorts of questions. "Annie, will you bring Andrew down to the breaking corrals later?" Annie didn't respond. "Please?" All Adam got was a very quiet affirmative before he grabbed his old hat and headed out.

Ben tried to placate her. "Annie, I'm sure it will be fine. Joe won't expect too much of him today. If you want, I could take Andrew down there for you."

"I would like that. Maybe I'll come with you, but I could use some moral support on this one. I'm so afraid for him."

Looking at Michele, Ben got a small nod from her. She would work on Annie if Ben took Andrew down there. With their silent communication complete, Ben asked Andrew if he would like to ride in the wagon to go see what his father and Uncle Joe were doing. Andrew was excited and quickly looked to his mother for permission. Annie nodded but Andrew could see she was troubled.

"Mama, are you mad at Papa? I heard you arguing last night."

Annie held out her arms and Andrew rushed into them. "Aw, sweetie, I'm sorry you heard us. We weren't arguing as much as disagreeing. Your Papa wants to do something today that could be dangerous, and I didn't want him to do it."

"Is it dangerous like 'nakes? Could Papa die?"

"No, no, I'm sure he won't. I didn't mean to frighten you either. Perhaps you should go with grandpa before I make things even worse."

After Ben and Andrew left the house to hitch up the wagon, Michele asked just one question. "If Adam is distracted because he's thinking about your worries, won't that make it more likely that he might get hurt?"

"Will you watch Joanna?"

Michele smiled and put out her arms to take the two-year-old. "I'll take her over to see Maggie and the girls. Miranda and Maureen will like to play with her. You can find us there when you get back."

With a quick thank you and a mention that she would be back to see Andi and Mo too, Annie hurried out of the house to ride with Ben and Andrew to the breaking corrals. When she got there, she saw Adam standing on the bottom rail of the corral fence with Joe as they looked over the horses. She asked Ben to stay with Andrew as she walked to the fence and stepped up to be beside Adam. He looked at her a bit apprehensively, but she pulled him to her for a kiss. "Do us proud, cowboy." Then she hopped down off the fence to sit in the wagon with Ben and Andrew to watch. Joe looked at Adam as he turned back to the horses.

"We are very lucky men, aren't we?"

Epilogue

The ranch house was expanded although riding up to it, one would not likely have noticed the changes. But in the back of the house a new wing extended back about thirty feet with two more bedrooms on the second floor. Between the bedrooms was a walkway across the room down below that was a large gathering area with two stories of windows that showcased the view of the lake, the pines, and the mountains. On one side of the first floor was a spacious office for Adam and on the opposite side next to the back of the massive chimney that would provide a lot of warmth in the winter was a sewing room with a floor to ceiling window that was the twin of the one in Adam's office. Extending out from the annex was a large deck area for picnics or sitting in the sun on warm days.

Ben and Michele took that trip to the Sandwich Islands and found that little house that Adam and Annie had used. They rented it for a month and lived on the beach walking in the surf and reading with the soft wave action in the background. They took a trip over to the big island and saw the lava flow from active volcanoes. By the time the month was up, they thought about staying longer but missed the grandchildren and were anxious to see the changes to the house. They boarded a ship and four months to the day that they had left, they returned to Nevada where the air had turned chilly and hinted at the snow that would soon be there. Arriving at the ranch house, they found it fairly quiet and wondered where everyone was. It didn't take long to find out. Their telegram had arrived with just enough time for the family to arrange a party to welcome them home. The whole family was there as well as Roy, Paul, and Candy with his love interest. Annie was in a new rocking chair with their youngest grandchild, Aurea. For a man who had raised three sons and lived with only men for nearly twenty years, all these females were making a dramatic difference in Ben's life. Adam walked up holding Aurea's brother who was older by twenty minutes. Michael John or MJ was much more fussy than his sister and required lots of walking and rocking. Hoss was there with Maggie who sat on a settee with their daughters Mo and Andi. The news was apparent when Joe and Martha turned to greet them. The tummy bump was pronounced and unmistakable. It was a baby boom on the Ponderosa. Ben sat in the new brown leather chair Adam had picked out just for him, and Michele sat on the arm of it. Ben sighed deeply. It was good to be Ben Cartwright.


End file.
